Tag: holidays

Posted in picture books

Tales from the TBR: A Persian Passover by Etan Basseri & Rashin Kheiriyeh

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

A Persian Passover, by Etan Basseri/Illustrated by Rashin Kheiriyeh, (March 2022, Kalaniot Books), $19.99, ISBN: 9781735087566

Ages 4-8

 

Siblings Ezra and Roza live in Iran and are helping their family prepare for the big Passover celebration. They’re both very excited to be part of things, but Ezra accidentally trips and falls, spilling all the fresh matzah into a big puddle! A kind neighbor steps in to save the day: and the seder! Basseri describes the excitement and anticipation of the holiday, with everyone busily working on cleaning, cooking, and baking; Ezra and Roza exhibit childlike joy as they speed around everyone with their own mission to bring flour to the bakers who will make the matzah. Basseri, lovingly recalling his father’s memories of growing up Jewish in Iran, creates a warm family story while providing learning about Passover. Colorful artwork will appeal to readers. Back matter includes a note on Jews in Persia, a glossary, a word about Passover, and a Hallaa recipe. Visit the Kalaniot website for a free downloadable activity guide!

 

 

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

Blog Tour Catchup: Turkey’s Valentine Surprise!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

That festive, costume-loving Turkey is back to celebrate Valentine’s Day!

Turkey’s Valentine Surprise, by Wendi Silvano/Illustrated by Lee Harper
(Dec. 2022, Two Lions), $17.99, ISBN: 9781542023665
Ages 4-7

The sixth book in Wendi Silvano’s and Lee Harper’s Turkey series, Turkey wants to deliver valentines to all of his friends… in disguise! His friends figure him out every time – but Turkey’s never been one to give up. He’s got a surprise that will top every disguise! With adorable cartoon artwork that we’ve grown to know and love, and hilarious holiday puns aplenty, Plan on giving Turkey’s Valentine Surprise heavy readaloud rotation. The story lends itself to a post-readaloud activity, whether it’s making Valentines or disguising Turkey (there are fun templates available, or you can make your own!). Add this to your Turkey collections and holiday readalouds!

 

“Gobble, gobble! Grab this farmyard story full of Valentine’s Day puns…The spirit of Valentine’s Day shines bright in this caring community.” ―Kirkus Reviews

“A must-have for any size library: school, public, or home.” ―School Library Journal

Wendi Silvano was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, and has lived in Oregon, Colorado, and Peru. The author of the Turkey Trouble series, she has a BA in early childhood education and taught preschool and elementary school for eleven years. She is the mother of five children and the owner of an assortment of odd pets that are not nearly as clever as Turkey. She now writes from her home in Colorado, where she enjoys hiking, reading, and playing the piano. Visit her online at wendisilvano.com.

Lee Harper is the author-illustrator of the books Coyote, The Emperor’s Cool Clothes, and Snow! Snow! Snow! Lee is also the illustrator of the Turkey Trouble series, by Wendi Silvano, as well as the Woolbur series, written by Leslie Helakoski. Lee has four children, a German shepherd, two barn cats, eleven chickens…but no turkeys. Yet. He lives with his wife in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Visit him online at leeharperart.com.

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads, Toddler Reads

Season’s Reading! Christmas Books for littles!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

All the Things Santa Claus Will Never Do, by Ronan Badel/Illustrated by Noé Carlain, (Nov. 2021, Schiffer Books), $14.99, ISBN: 9780764362170

Ages 4-7

I have been holding onto this book for a full year! I received it while I was out sick last year (thanks, COVID), but had so much fun reading it that I wanted to make sure I gave it some love. All the Things Santa Claus Will Never Do is a giggle-worthy read-aloud that tells readers all the things Santa won’t do, like running late delivering toys because he’s stopping at every Christmas Tree to sing “O Christmas Tree”, or unwrapping presents and playing with them. All of these silly little things that Santa would never, ever do lead up to the one biggie – Santa won’t ever forget where his favorite readers live, naturally! Amusing cartoon artwork illustrates each scenario and will have readers laughing along as they come up with their own things that Santa would never do. Endpapers show Santa and one of his reindeer playing a game of tag, chasing one another back and forth. A fun additional Christmas book add to holiday collections.

All the Things Santa Claus Would Never Do is the holiday companion to Badel and Carlain’s All the Things a Teacher Would Never Say.

 

 

The Twelve Cats of Christmas, by Feather Flores/Illustrated by Carrie Liao, (Oct. 2022, Chronicle Books), $15.99, ISBN: 9781452184616

Ages 3-8

This feline-friendly take on the famous Christmas carol is all about cats, and the lovable chaos they bring with them. On the first day of Christmas, there’s a kitten under the tree. From there, it’s all cats: batting bows; laying on the gifts, watching the winter weather, and – naturally – climbing the tree. The cats become more mischievous as the verse progresses, and mixed media artwork plays out the action in hilarious detail. Front endpapers are a wrapping paper design with cats being adorable, swinging on lights and hiding in boxes; back endpapers are torn, with wide-eyed cats, upended boxes, and melting snowflakes. Back matter introduces readers to each of the featured cats by name, likes and dislikes, and favorite Christmas activities. Definitely meant to be read and enjoyed aloud, The Twelve Cats of Christmas is a fun holiday read that works well where there are animal fans.

There are adorable Christmas cat coloring pages all over the Internet! Print out some fun ones and let your littles make their own Twelve Cats of Christmas.

 

 

Crinkle Bells, by Jay Fleck, (Oct. 2022, Chronicle Books), $8.99, ISBN: 9781452181677

Ages 0-3

Set to the tune of Jingle Bells, this touch-and-feel board book lets little fingers make crinkly sounds with special material on each spread. Two jingle bells are too excited to sleep as Christmas gets nearer, but they’re keeping everyone awake! Will they finally be able to fall asleep – and give the ornaments, candles, and candy canes a break – before Christmas morning? Adorable, brightly colored artwork set off against deep green and blue backgrounds and tactile activities on each spread make this a great book for little hands to explore and celebrate. Sing the book as part of a lapsit and get your egg shakers or jingle bells out: this book is too much fun NOT to read aloud.

 

 

 

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

Time well spent is The Best Gift for Bear

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

The Best Gift for Bear, by Jennifer A. Bell, (Sept. 2022, Two Lions), $17.99, ISBN: 9781542029223

Ages 4-7

Hedgehog has been baking all morning, making just-right cookies for her friends and neighbors: snowflakes for the mice, trees, for the squirrels, special rabbits for all of her bunny friends. But what to make for Bear, her very best friend? Hedgehog decides on the perfect idea, but there’s a bit of an upset on the way to deliver Bear’s gift. It’s okay, though: Bear and Hedgehog enjoy a warm beverage together and discover that time well spent is the best gift of all. An adorable holiday story with a delightful message about the true meaning of giving with warm gouache and pencil illustrations and adorable animals and gingerbread cookies. Front endpapers feature recipes for cookies and icing; back endpapers show some of Hedgehog’s cookie work, and cookies representing Bear and Hedgehog together. And endearing readaloud that deserves a spot in seasonal storytimes.

Want some fun gingerbread post-storytime activities? Panda Speech on TeachersPayTeachers has a very cute dress up activity, and Education.com has several gingerbread coloring sheets.

 

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★“This genuinely heartfelt, quietly moving friendship story emphasizes that ‘a day with a friend is the best gift of all.’” ―Publishers Weekly (starred review)

 

“A sweet, appealing picture book for the season.” ―Booklist

 

A 2022 Goodreads Choice Award Nominee


Jennifer A. Bell is the illustrator of more than forty children’s books, including the Sophie Mouse series. She studied fine art at the Columbus College of Art & Design, and her work can also be found on greeting cards and in magazines. This is the first picture book she’s written and illustrated. She lives in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Learn more about her at www.jenniferabell.com.

Instagram: @jbellstudio

Twitter: @JenniferABell_

Facebook: Jennifer A. Bell Illustration

Posted in Uncategorized

Celebrate Rosh Hashanah with Uncle Max!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Rosh Hashanah with Uncle Max, by Varda Livney, (Aug. 2021, Kar-Ben Publishing), $7.99, ISBN: 9781728429069

Ages 0-4

The New Year is coming, and Uncle Max is going to spend it with his very excited family! Uncle Max is clearly the life of the party, with his colorful floral shirt and backwards baseball cap. Together, the family watches the sun set, lights the candles and enjoys a meal, and celebrates at the Synagogue. This adorable board book celebrates the Jewish New Year, with colorful illustrations, a cheerful family story, new Hebrew vocabulary words (and puppy translation),  and touchstones of the Jewish holiday, including dipping apples and challah in honey for a sweet new year, and blessing the wine and grape juice. The family largely presents as white, with some brown-skinned members. A joyful story to celebrate a joyful holiday, this is a great choice for holiday collections.

PJ Library has a downloadable reading guide to accompany the book, including a hands-on activity and thought-provoking questions that family can discuss.

For fun and educational Rosh Hashanah activities, see this fun paper mâché shofar on Education.com; you can also find recipes on the site, including a honey cake and noodle kugel. Visit TeachersPayTeachers for coloring sheets, including this one by CreateDecorateEducation and a greeting card from Yom Tov.

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

Passover, Here I Come! collects fun holiday poems for kids

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Passover, Here I Come!, by D.J. Steinberg/Illustrated by Emanuel Wiemans, (Feb. 2022, Grosset & Dunlap), $5.99, ISBN: 9780593224038

Ages 4-6

Clean the house, set the Seder plate, and get the matzoh, because Passover’s coming! Author D.J. Steinberg’s newest “Here I Come!” book collects poems celebrating all things Passover, including a kid-friendly Haggadah: “A Hebrew hero, Moses / told him, ‘Let my people go!’ / But guess what mean old Pharaoh answered / ‘No, no, no!'” There’s a sweet farewell to bread (“It’s been fun, but bye-bye, Bread- / We’re eating matzoh now instead!”) and a hilarious ode to gefilte fish (“There’s no fish in any ocean / that looks anything like that!”). Illustrations are so much fun, with marching slices of bread, a bustling household getting ready for Passover, and coming together to celebrate; characters are diverse. The rhymes are fun to read out loud, so consider adding to your celebrations. Like other Here I Come! books, this one has stickers; great for gifts, not great for circulating copies. Make sure to slice out the stickers and hand them out instead.

See all of D.J. Steinberg’s Here I Come! books here. Visit author D.J. Steinberg’s author page here to find more of his books and learn about author appearances.

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

Can it be true? Nobody Likes the Easter Bunny?

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Say it ain’t so! A chick starts off this book with a giant pronouncement: “Nobody likes the Easter Bunny. He’s eggstremely disappointing”. Does this chick have an ulterior motive? Like, maybe they think chicks are better?

Nobody Likes the Easter Bunny, by Karen Kilpatrick/Illustrated by Germán Blanco,
(March 2022, Genius Cat Books), $14.99, ISBN: 9781938447266

Ages 3-7

In this fun and educational Easter story, a chick breaks down why the Easter Bunny isn’t as great as a chick: they only come around once a year; they hide eggs so you can’t find them; they get all the attention! But a group of kids is there to debunk Chick’s protestations, showing the Chick – and readers! – why both Chicks AND Easter Bunnies are pretty excellent. Back matter includes factual information on both chickens and bunnies, including this “Easter Egger” fact about chickens that I never knew! Artwork is vibrant, boldly outlined, and playful. All in all, a playful Easter story with some fun facts about chickens and rabbits. Pair these with the “How to Catch” series by Adam Wallace (which includes How to Catch an Easter Bunny!)

Nobody Likes the Easter Bunny is part of the “Nobody Likes the…” series from Karen Kilpatrick.  You can find Nobody Likes Unicorns at the Genius Cat website, and Nobody Likes Mermaids is coming soon. The Genius Cat website has free downloadable resources, including free books, activities, and lesson plans.

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

Welcoming the New Year with a blog tour: Playing with Lanterns

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Hi, all! I hope you all had a happy and healthy holiday season and are ready for a hopeful New Year. I’ve been sick (not THAT one, just an awful cold) for the last few days, so my triumphant return to blogging has been waylaid a bit, but I’m back, medicated, and rested.

My first post of the New Year is also about a New Year: Lunar New Year! Playing with Lanterns is a new book from Amazon Crossing Kids, translated from Chinese, about a group of children and their special New Year lanterns.


Playing with Lanterns, by Wang Yage/Illustrated by Zhu Chengliang,
Translated by Helen Wang, (Jan. 2022, Amazon Crossing Kids),
$17.99, ISBN: 9781542029841
Ages 4-7

Zhao Di and her friends are so excited to celebrate Lunar New Year! They run, dance, and play together, waving their colorful lanterns each night until the last night – the 15th day of the New Year – when they smash their lanterns! But Zhao Di doesn’t want to smash her lantern just yet. That would mean the New Year celebrations are over, after all; or what if it’s not the right time yet? That would bring bad luck!

Originally published in China, Playing with Lanterns is such a wonderful winter story about childhood and tradition. Back matter includes an author’s note about the tradition of smashing lanterns, and the story reads at times like verse, at times like a folk tale, creating a wonderful atmosphere for readers and making this a great readaloud choice. Colorful artwork decorates the text and sets warm atmosphere in the middle of winter, with colorful lanterns, clothing, warm fires, and cheery homes. For a colorful lantern craft that can easily transition into a grab-and-go, visit First Palette.

 

“A colorful wintry tale ushers in Chinese New Year over two weeks…A charming illustration of childhood memories during the holiday season.” ―Kirkus Reviews

“Quiet, elegant passages stud the text…Tenderly detailed gouache paintings by Zhu render the children as small, patterned bundles frolicking against expanses of snow…A quiet celebration of a Northwestern Chinese tradition.” ―Publishers Weekly

Wang Yage was born in Shaanxi, a central and historical province of China, where the custom of playing with lanterns was once a popular Chinese New Year tradition. A doctor of classical Chinese literature, she teaches at the University of Tibet. Playing with Lanterns is her first picture book. First published in China, the book made the prestigious White Ravens international book list.

Zhu Chengliang is an award-winning Chinese illustrator. Born in Shanghai and raised in Suzhou, he studied at the Department of Fine Art, Nanjing University, and has worked as an author, illustrator, editor, and designer. He was nominated for the Hans Christian Andersen Award in 2016, which is the highest international distinction given to authors and illustrators of children’s books. His books have been named one of the Ten Best Illustrated Books by the New York Times and to the IBBY Honor List.

Helen Wang is a writer and translator from the UK. In 2017 she was given a Special Contributor of the Year honor as part of the Chen Bochui International Children’s Literature Awards for her work in bringing Chinese children’s literature to English-speaking audiences. Wang has translated novels, picture books, and graphic novels, including Cao Wenxuan’s Bronze and Sunflower, which won the Marsh Christian Award for Children’s Literature in Translation.

 

One lucky winner will receive a copy of Playing with Lanterns, courtesy of Amazon Crossing Kids (U.S. and Canada addresses). Enter the Rafflecopter giveaway!

Amazon Crossing Kids aims to increase the diversity of children’s books in translation and encourage young reading from a range of cultural perspectives.

 

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

Christmas, Here I Come!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Hi, all! I was down for a few days, between a birthday (I rebooted 50 this year, since turning 50 in 2020 was a bit of a bust), and getting a booster, which kept me in bed for a day. But I’m back, and ready to talk up more books! Let’s get started with a new one in the Here I Come! series:

Christmas, Here I Come!, by D.J. Steinberg/Illustrated by Laurie Stansfield, (Oct. 2021, Grosset & Dunlap), $5.99, ISBN: 9780593094242

Ages 4-7

A collection of 22 short poems celebrating Christmas, Christmas, Here I Come! is the latest in D. J. Steinberg’s Here I Come! series. These fun poems are perfect for readalouds, celebrating everything from holiday standards like snickerdoodles – “Start with one and you’re going to want oodles. / You can keep your bicotti and strudles” – and the infamous fruitcake: “As a paperweight, you can’t beat it. / But pretty, pretty, pretty pleeeeeeeeease-just don’t make me eat it!”. Letters to Santa, Christmas decorating, the special feel to the air when it’s that time of year – everything we relish has a moment in this fun 8×8 book. Laurie Stansfield’s illustrations are colorful, featuring a diverse cast of human characters all celebrating this time of year together. The book comes with stickers, so it’s a great extra gift idea, but if you’re circulating copies, you may want to slice the stickers out so your book doesn’t get wrecked (and hand the stickers out as prizes).

Posted in picture books

Seasons Readings: The Robin & The Fir Tree

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

The Robin & The Fir Tree, by Hans Christian Andersen/retold & illustrated by Jason Jameson, (Nov. 2021, Templar), $18.99, ISBN: 9781536220025

Ages 4-8

Jason Jameson retells the classic Hans Christian Andersen story of The Fir Tree, spinning into a bittersweet tale of friendship, loss, and rebirth. A robin befriends a fir tree in a forest, but the fir tree has dreams of being freed from his roots and traveling, discovering a larger purpose in the world. When the tree is chosen to be the centerpiece in a town square’s Christmas festival, he is delighted, but Robin is scared: where will they take her friend? Jason Jameson deepens the friendship aspect of Andersen’s story by making the relationship between Robin and Fir Tree the heart of the story. He adds lyrical beauty to the story with phrases like, “He (the fir tree) yawned, stretched, and shook off his cobweb-lace pajamas”; and describes how the robin and fireflies decorate the tree with golden ribbon from the town fair; he touches on the disposability of the holiday season as he describes the rough treatment the tree receives when the town’s children mob for their gifts, and how callously he’s bound and tossed into a shed for disposal. The story reminds us that a tree is a living thing; a part of nature that houses forest creatures. The Robin & The Fir Tree is exquisitely illustrated with graphite pencil and digital illustration, with deep red, greens, golds, and browns and European-inspired folk art. A lovely retelling.