Tag: celebrations

Posted in picture books

Picture Book/Board Book Rundown!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

I know it’s been a minute since I was posting regularly, so let’s get to the books that were published during my little break!

Good Night, Friends, by Lori Wieczorek/Illustrated by Keiron Ward, (March 2026, Scholastic), $9.99, ISBN: 9798225017675

Ages 3-5

With verse and cadence inspired by Margaret Wise Brown’s bedtime classic, Goodnight Moon, Wieczorek skillfully creates a rhyming bedtime story about Friends: “In the great New York apartment, there was a group of friends on a sunny afternoon and a home full of… Phoebe’s tunes!” Fans of the series will love reliving the sitcom as they read the book to littles. Memorable moments from the series, from the famous “Pivot!” to Monica, Phoebe, and Rachel wearing wedding dresses as they sit on a couch together, run throughout the book. Ward’s illustrations are adorable, featuring simplified versions of the characters. This one is too cute for fans not to have, and the series lives on in syndication, ensuring consistent pop culture life span.

 

 

Truckosaurus, by Karen Shapiro/Illustrated by Rachel Foo, (March 2026, Sourcebooks Wonderland), $12.99, ISBN: 9781464251641

Ages 4-7

There’s a secret land where the wackiest and most wonderful creatures live, and the most beloved of all is Truckosaurus, the cutest half-dinosaur half-truck you’ll ever want to meet. Truckosaurus rolls around town catching up with his friends: toucans and apes, laser-toothed tigers, glow-in-the-dark pythons, and so many more! Everyone is getting ready for a big party to celebrate their best friend, the kindest Truckosaurus who helps everyone! Told in rhyme and filled with imaginative and playfully wild illustrations, this colorful ode to friendship is perfect for dinosaur fans (and if you’re doing the CSLP Summer Reading program). If you haven’t added this to your storytime collection yet, give it some consideration.

 

 

How NOT To Make a Jelly Sandwich, by Ross Burach, (Apr. 2026, Scholastic Press), $19.99, ISBN: 9781338877090

Ages 4-8

Frankie is a kid who has her own unique way of doing things, and she can’t wait to show you how she makes a jelly sandwich! This hilarious story will have kids giggling as they follow Frankie along on her quest to make a jelly sandwich. How do you get bread? Disguise yourself as a duck, waddle down to the nearest pond, and let folks throw bread at you, naturally! Frankie has a wild imagination and encourages readers to think outside – way outside! – the box to do things. (Maybe don’t organize a joust to get your pieces of bread to meet, though.) Bold outlines, bright colors, and clever details throughout are a delight, always giving readers something new to discover. Definitely a fun choice for storytimes (and if, like my library, you offer Summer Lunch, there’s your lunchtime program).

 

Posted in Preschool Reads, Toddler Reads

Sometimes Cake finds reasons to celebrate

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Sometimes Cake, by Edwina Wyatt/Illustrated by Tamsin Ainslie, (Jan. 2022, Candlewick Press), $17.99, ISBN: 9781536217810

Ages 2-5

A little girl named Audrey happens upon a Lion holding a balloon and asks if it’s his birthday. It isn’t, but they discover a mutual love of celebrating, so they sing songs, have cake, and give a few cheers. When Audrey finds Lion again, he seems a bit down, and claims it isn’t a day for celebrating; it’s just “an ordinary day”. To cheer him up, Audrey throws a party to celebrate ordinary days, and the two friends play, dance, and enjoy one another’s company. Sometimes Cake is about celebrating something; anything, for the pure joy of it. Pencil and ink watercolors provide a gentle, colorful look into a sweet story about joy and about lifting up friends when they could use a hand. Read this with your storytime group and invite them to make their own party hats and dance.

Sometimes Cake was originally published in Australia in 2020. Author Edwina Wyatt’s webpage offers a free downloadable storytime kit for all of her books.

Posted in Uncategorized

Celebrate YOU! How to Have a Birthday

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

How to Have a Birthday, by Mary Lyn Ray/Illustrated by Cindy Derby, (Sept. 2021, Candlewick Press), $17.99, ISBN: 9781536207415

Ages 4-8

All the expectations of a birthday are wrapped up in this warm, enjoyable tribute to the most special, most personal, of days. How to Have a Birthday is a celebration of the potential of the birthday: “On the morning of your birthday, you can tell already that the day is not like others. / Maybe you wake early, wondering what will happen. / You know something will. / And that’s your first present: you get to wonder”. It’s a celebration of all the ways we mark the day, from songs and gifts, to rituals and traditions to mark the passing of another year; it’s the power of the birthday wish. The story follows three children as they observe and enjoy their days, in their own ways, with the people in their lives, and the mixed media illustrations are created in warm, soothing colors that wrap readers in their cozy world and invite them in to celebrate. A great birthday story for a special storytime, make reading this a part of your own rituals and traditions.

Posted in Middle Grade, Non-fiction

Orca re-releases Chinese New Year in time for the Year of the Ox

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Chinese New Year: A Celebration for Everyone, by Jen Sookfong Lee, (Jan. 2021, Orca Book Publishers), $12.95, ISBN: 9781459826434

Ages 9-12

Originally published in hardcover in 2017, Orca’s nonfiction Orca Origins series releases the paperback version of Chinese New Year: A Celebration for Everyone this month, just in time for the Year of the Ox celebrations beginning February 12th. Filled with fast facts, color photos, and quotes from prominent members of the Chinese community, author Jen Sookfong Lee details the history of Chinese New Year from its mythic origins to current-day celebrations, with memories of her own childhood and the childhoods of others adding a personal touch. The emphasis on family, how the holiday evolved from earlier days through upheavals in Chinese history, and how the holiday spread throughout the world give readers an idea of how Chinese New Year achieved such a global scope. Recipes throughout encourage readers – with adult supervision – to try out some New Year treats, and stories about the globalization of the holiday provide an welcome, inclusive invitation for all to enjoy. A glossary and index add to the back matter. A nice addition to holiday collections.

Posted in picture books

Love is Love around the world

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Love is Love: The Journey Continues (Book Two), by Fleur Pierets/Illustrated by Fatinha Ramos, (Nov. 2020, Six Foot Press), $18.95, ISBN: 978-1644420263

Ages 5-8

A follow-up to last year’s Love Around the World (Book One), Love is Love: The Journey Continues is the continuing story of Fleur Pierets and her wife, Julian, and their quest to get married in every country around the world that would let them. Julian was diagnosed with cancer after their fourth wedding and died six weeks later; Love is Love is the story of, as Fleur Pierets says, “two women named Fleur and Julian, who are going to get married in every country where they are allowed to do so. In the book, Julian doesn’t die, and we finish our performance of love”.

In straightforward prose, Fleur describes weddings in Denmark, Sweden, Colombia, Austria, and 10 others (The other weddings are covered Love Around the World). Colorful, bright, happy illustrations show the spouses dancing, traveling, and celebrating their love for one another across the globe, with happy attendees showering them with good wishes. Touching and powerful, Love is Love is a beautiful testament to love.

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

Excellent life advice: Eat the Cake!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Eat the Cake, by MH Clark/Illustrated by Jana Glatt, (Feb. 2020, Compendium), $16.95, ISBN: 978-1946873842

Ages 4-7

It’s time to celebrate? Celebrate what, you ask? Who needs a reason? Eat the Cake is all about picking a special day – it can be a birthday, a graduation, a special occasion, or just waking up and deciding this is YOUR day – and celebrating! Great things are coming your way, so relax, enjoy, and eat the cake!

This rhyming, upbeat story is all about embracing positivity; a new mindset; creativity, and being bold and brave. Brightly colored figures parade up, down, and all around the pages, throwing confetti, playing instruments, and celebrating the reader. The bright, happy colors pop off the bright white of the pages, really grabbing the reader’s attention and creative a fun, festive atmosphere. The story is a celebration of the reader/audience, encouraging them to “be so bright that the stars, watching all that you do, / look right down from the sky and start wishing on you”. How fantastic is that to read?

Play some upbeat music, give kids egg shakers, and let them celebrate themselves after reading Eat the Cake at storytime. Don’t limit the fun to the little ones, either: this works nicely with Dr. Seuss’ Oh, the Places You’ll Go! for a graduation reading at any age. Give this to a retiring colleague or family member to remind them to enjoy life and all they have ahead of them, or someone achieving a major milestone, or someone who just needs a pick-me-up. Eat the Cake is just too much fun.

MH Clark is also the author of Tiger Days, a great book about emotions, and Tiny Perfect Things, a lovely book about those small and perfect moments in our day.

 

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads, Toddler Reads

Halloween’s a-comin’!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

I loooooove Halloween. I’m one of those wackos that start decorating the first week of October (I’ll be going out to the garage to get my decorations tonight), and I’ve already started stockpiling goodies to stock for my trick-or-treaters at home and the library, plus goodies to hand out to my kiddo’s class. For Halloween storytime, I hand out little trick or treat bags with a mini-coloring book, like this Five Little Pumpkins rhyme from DLTK, some stickers, and a little trinket or two.

Halloween storytimes are the best, because I go nuts. I dress up, we sing great Halloween songs and dance to videos, and I stockpile Halloween stories to read and display. So here are some of the newer books I have on my Halloween storytime pile.

Pick a Pumpkin, by Patricia Toht/Illustrated by Jarvis, (July 2019, Candlewick), $16.99, ISBN: 9781536207644

Ages 3-7

The folks who brought us 2017’s Pick a Pine Tree are back with a Halloween story from the pumpkin patch. This rhyming story brings a family to the pumpkin patch, where they pick the perfect pumpkins; bringing them home, they assemble a pumpkin carving crew, their tools, and create the coolest Jack O’Lanterns you could wish for! The kids don their Halloween costumes for a night on the town while the Jack O’Lanterns guard their homes. Easily readable, with a soothing rhyme cadence, this is perfect storytime reading. The pencil, chalk, and paint artwork uses warm and vibrant Fall colors, and creates fun Jack O’Lantern faces for the kids to love. Don’t miss this one; you’ll come back to it for regular holiday reading. Have Jack O’Lantern coloring sheets ready to hand out post-storytime.

Pick a Pumpkin has a starred review from Booklist.

 

Where’s the Witch?, by Ingela P. Arrrhenius, (July 2019, Nosy Crow), $8.99, ISBN: 9781536207538

Ages 0-3

Christmas authors are getting into the Halloween spirit this year! Ingela P. Arrenhius’ board book, Where’s Santa?, was perfect toddler holiday reading and exploring last year. This year, she introduces kids to Halloween concepts, using her bold, bright, expressive art to send kids searching for Halloween icons: a witch, a skeleton, a spider, and vampire, all hidden behind shaped felt. The final spread asks, “Where are you?” and hides a mirror behind a felt ghost, letting toddlers see themselves for the final reveal. These books are adorable, and little fingers will love exploring and discovering their Halloween friends. Pair this with A Mischief of Monsters for a monstrously good storytime! (I know, that was painful, but it was right there.) Order two if you can, and keep one in your storytime collection: this one will get beaten up in circulation.

Give Me Back My Bones!, by Kim Norman/Illustrated by Bob Kolar, (July 2019, Candlewick), $16.99, ISBN: 9780763688417

Ages 4-8

A rhyming anatomy lesson and hide-and-seek all in one book! A stormy night has wreaked havoc on a poor pirate skeleton, whose bones have been scattered all over the sea floor. The rhyme incorporates proper biological terms for the bones, including mandible, metacarpals, scapula, and femur. The endpapers lay it all out for you, too: the front endpapers feature the scattered skeleton, with all his parts labeled; the back endpapers have our skeletal friend reassembled, with everything labeled so kids can see how they come together. As the rhyme proceeds through the book, encourage kids to look for the old buccaneer’s bones, and for any other pirate gear he may be missing: his hat, sword, earring, peg leg, and more have all been scattered to the seven seas, too! The digital artwork is bright, bold, and fun, showing the skeleton reassemble amid curious marine life, all of whom have taken ownership of the shiny skeletal treasures. The cover of the book doubles as a poster, with our pirate skeleton assembled and labeled. Could be a fun decoration! Kids will love it if you read this in an improvised pirate voice, just make sure you have some water nearby to soothe your throat. That pirate rasp can leave you parched.

Don’t miss this one. Give Me Back My Bones! has a starred review from Kirkus.

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

Unicorn Day: All are welcome!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Unicorn Day, by Diana Murray/Illustrated by Luke Flowers, (June 2019, Sourcebooks Jabberwocky), $17.99, ISBN: 9781492667223

Ages 3-7

It’s Unicorn Day! All the unicorns come out to play and show their unicorn pride; they shine up their horns, they fluff up their manes, and they sing the Unicorn Day song as they dance and celebrate. But what happens when a horse tries to fit in with a fake horn on Unicorn Day? Why, the unicorns embrace him and get back to celebrating! Unicorn Day is for everyone!

Sliding down rainbows? Raining cupcakes? A glitter fight? This is the best book ever! Unicorn Day is an adorable tale of fun, celebration, and inclusivity. No mean unicorns here! These unicorns know how to have fun and want everyone around them to feel as happy and loved as they do. The rhyming text has a festive feel, and Luke Flowers’ colorful, vibrant art will get your little readers up and marching. Alligators, octopus, even a yeti parade across the page, all sporting unicorn horns and megawatt smiles. I love the joyful feel of the story, and the positive message about making space for everyone. Author Diana Murray has a free, downloadable activity kit available that has everything you need for your own unicorn party, including tasty recipes, a pin-the-horn on the unicorn game, invitations, and name tags. This Craftiness is Not Optional post also has a cute step-by-step to make your own glittery unicorn horns using scrapbooking paper. Want to make unicorn balloons? Here’s a template from the Minidrops blog; the post is in German, but the pictures are there to guide you.

Slip this into your Pride storytimes, your unicorn storytimes, and your anytime storytimes. It’s feel-good storytelling, and a must-have for your collections!

Seriously, though, check out Diana Murray’s author website. I’ve been a fan for several years now; she’s got goodies attached to most of her book pages, and her books are consistently wonderful. Follow Luke Flowers on Instagram to see more of his adorable artwork, and because he’s a great guy who personalizes books at his signings. (My 7-year-old is still thrilled with his ‘Be T-Rexcellent’ message and drawing on his copy of One More Dino on the Floor.)

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

Babymoon celebrates that magical bonding time with a new baby

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Babymoon, by Hayley Barrett/Illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal, (March 2019, Candlewick Press), $16.99, ISBN: 9780763688523

Ages 3-7

“We’ll invite the world in soon, but for now – we’re on our babymoon”.

When new parents bring home their little bundle for the first time, there’s usually a line of well-wishers waiting to get in the door and visit, cuddle, and gush over the new arrival(s), but those days are also a big adjustment, too. Sometimes, you just want – need – some more time in that intimate bubble; more time to cuddle, gaze, and enjoy your new family, before letting the outside world in. It’s a time many refer to as The Babymoon, and Hayley Barrett and Juana Martinez-Neal have come together to create a gorgeous book celebrating that magical time.

Told in a gentle rhyme, this story of a mom, dad, and new baby is just gorgeous. It’s a celebration of discovery as a family; of “delighting in each small surprise”; of cuddly naps; of nursing; of lullabies and yawns; of connecting and figuring out one another. I adore award-winning illustrator Juana Martinez-Neal’s artwork – her book, Alma, is a beautiful look at the origin of a child’s name, and here, she uses warmly colored, soft, acrylic, colored pencil, and graphite artwork on handmade textured paper to capture the sheer wonder – and sleepiness, and even confusion – of this exquisite moment in time. Ms. Martinez-Neal creates illustrations that speak to readers; reaching up through the page and drawing them in, heart-first, to the story.

Babymoon is a lovely read-aloud and gift to new siblings, and assures kids (and adults alike) that it’s okay to keep the world outside for just a little bit longer, as they navigate this new little person. It’s a perfect baby shower gift, inviting new parents and parents-to-be to relax and enjoy this new time: everyone else can, and will, wait.

Babymoon has a starred review from Booklist.

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

Prepare for a fiesta with The Piñata That the Farm Maiden Hung!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

The Piñata That the Farm Maiden Hung, by Samantha Vamos/Illustrated by Sebastià Serra, (Jan. 2019, Charlesbridge), $17.99, ISBN: 9781580897969

Ages 4-8

This adorable companion to 2011’s The Cazuela That the Farm Maiden Stirred is another bilingual, cumulative story. A girl heads to the market while the farm maiden and her friends pull together a piñata for a surprise celebration! Like Cazuela, The Piñata That the Farm Maiden Hung features Spanish words in bold font, with words identifiable using context clues, and the illustrations are colorful and bright, with friendly, soft character faces and festive touches like papel picado pennants and a bright piñata. Back matter includes the lyrics to “The Piñata Song/La Canción de la Piñata”, instructions on making your own piñata, a glossary, and list of Spanish translations. Charlesbridge offers the piñata instructions available for free download on their website.

This is a cute companion to The Cazuela That the Farm Maiden Stirred, and a fun addition to storytime. It begs for a felt board storytelling, so make a trip to the craft store!