Blog Archives
The Magical Mistake
The Magical Mistake is an adorable children’s book about a farmer who participates in his towns Annual Harvest Tasting only to find a magical cursed berry, supposedly ridded from the land, in his harvest cart. Before he’s able to remove the berry from the cart the Mayor has already begun tasting it. With the towns Mayor cursed by a magical berry farmer John must rush to find a cure.
Kaavya Shah provides young readers with a delightful story that helps build their vocabulary by introducing new words, in an easy to understand context. The glossary provided at the end of the book helps provide everything readers will need to get a full understanding of new vocabulary words and how to use them. With only two characters in this story, there is still quite a fantastical world created here. The supposedly cursed berry is not what it turns out to be, leaving readers with a bit of a mystery, but this opens the story to a continuation in a series that could explore further what this berry is. I would have liked to have seen farmer John come up with a solution to the curse, or at least provide a little backstory to the berry. As it is, it seems that the problem at the heart of the story seems to just resolve it self. Every page of the book is brightly colored and accompanied by cute vector art that suited the story well. The Magical Mistake is an entertaining story that will also build young readers vocabularies.
Pages: 28 | ASIN: B08BW511YD
What I Tell Myself About Talent
What I Tell Myself About Talent is a fun children’s book that places exploration and self actualization center stage. What are you good at? What’s your talent? How can you ever know until you try. This book helps kids make the connection between their current talents and their future jobs, whether it’s an innate talent or something they have to work at. Rather than telling children to be one thing or another, What I Tell Myself About Talent let’s readers know that it’s okay to not know, and exploring the possibilities is part of the fun.
Michael Brown has once again created a book on a topic that I have rarely, if ever, read about in a children’s book. Talent, and how to find it in everyday places with a little exploration, is accomplished in this book with simple rhymes and vibrant illustrations of diverse children doing different activities. This picture book will encourage readers to get out into the world and try things out. It will open their eyes to the idea that they can continue to do the things they like even into adulthood. From doctors to construction workers Michael Brown makes it clear that going out and finding what your good at is part of the fun. The ending of the book has Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs which is a great opportunity for further discussion beyond the book. What I Tell Myself About Talent is a great way to start a conversation about finding talent in everyday activities.
Pages: 30 | ASIN: B08CBQR6XJ
Water at the Top of the World: A Story of Legends and Learning
A charmingly illustrated children’s book about inclusion and peace-seeking in a world of colliding mythology and science. Enjoyed by religious and non-religious parents and children alike, this book is a great point of entry for discussions on diversity of thought and commonality of human experience.
Honeycake Book Series
Medea Kalantar is a multi-award winning author of a delightful children’s book series called Honeycake. The Honeycake books teaches valuable life lessons on diversity, kindness, mindfulness, trust and gratitude. With all the negativity in the world, the Honeycake series is a glimmer of hope and positivity which exactly what the world needs right now. Honeycake books will enlighten, empower, educate and entertain children and their families for generations to come.
The Boy in the Blue Boots – Trailer
A boy named Henry is seeking adventure in his life as the middle child. There is a new baby in the house and his older brother has begun preschool. Henry’s shoes are not holding up to his toddler lifestyle. One day at the park, his older brother tells Henry about the magical blue rain boots that take him on adventures. Will Henry be able to get his own spectacular shoe experience?
A little bit EXTRAORDINARY
A little bit Extraordinary is a children’s picture book that follows a cute young girl named Juliette who has Down’s syndrome. Throughout the book readers learn what Down’s syndrome is and helps readers learn that we’re all different, which is what makes us special. This is a beautiful story told in rhyme that promotes acceptance and celebrates diversity.
I loved this charming book. This book explains the physical differences in someone with Down’s syndrome as well as the science behind the differences. It does so easily so that anyone can understand it. Even as an adult I found this book educational as I wasn’t fully aware of what causes the syndrome and the effects it has on people. I was so wrapped up in the story and learning about Juliette that I didn’t realize the story is told in rhyme because it flowed so easily. The story discusses topics such as bullying, recognizing and celebrating differences, and showing kindness. The illustrations are exceptional, with bright colorful images on each page that provide context to the words.
I recommend this book to parents, teachers, and even adults, like me, who don’t know much about Down’s syndrome. There are more than a dozen talking points provided at the end of the book. This really highlights the major benefit this book has; it begins a discussion. Whether you know someone with Down’s syndrome or not I highly recommend reading this with your child so that you are both knowledgeable and ready to accept anyone for who they are.
A Different Type of Diversity
Lefty Saves the Day follows Gracie as she tries to overcome her anxiety about an upcoming baseball game. What was the inspiration for the setup to this lovely children’s story?
From a personal experience, the first time I played baseball someone put the bat in my right hand. I swung and missed each time. Then, I switched hands, which felt natural to me. I swung. The bat made contact with the ball. I was told to run. I made it to the make-shift base which was a sweatshirt. I am left-handed. Ruth Craver, the illustrator, is left-handed. Neither of us had read much literature about being left-handed.
Gracie is presented with some unique challenges for being left handed. Why was this an important topic for you to discuss?
There are so many different approaches and mannerisms left-handed people adapt to such as reading the print on a pen (upside down if you hold in your left hand), measuring cups, rulers, and wall-fastened pencil sharpeners to name a few. Being left-handed is a different type of diversity and one that comes with some challenges but can be accomplished with awareness.
The art in this book is cute and lively. What was the art collaboration like with Ruth Craver?
Ruth and I have known each other for over twenty years. Ruth is a very creative illustrator. Our first work together was in N Is For Noah, then with the debut Lefty novel, Don’t Call me Lefty. We work well together even though distance makes it rare to discuss the books in person. We go over all of the artwork and placement of Ruth’s illustrations within the book. I really appreciate her timeliness, gift, and dedication.
Lefty Saves the Day is the second book in your Don’t Call Me Lefty series. What can readers expect from book three in the series?
Gracie Carter will address other challenges for being left-handed. The next few books in the series are a bit more humorous and of course, Scott and Gracie bump elbows. The exact book from the remaining four has not been determined so the precise lefty challenge cannot be revealed.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Website
A group of Gracie’s classmates join the Carter’s play ball. Gracie hopes for rain. The surprise was Gracie could throw a ball but that’s all. She could not bat especially when the pitchers are all right-handed.
The day of the game arrived, and the sun was shining. Gracie wanted to pitch but her class already had a pitcher. She also did not want to bat. Then there was her nemesis, Scott Collins, who referred to her as trouble.
Gracie was not sure why teams switched places. Then, it was her turn and she felt like throwing up. She saw a relief pitcher warming up before going to the mound.
“I got this,” Gracie said.
The Garden And The Glen
Elizabeth Moseley’s The Garden and the Glen is a delightful fable with a timeless feel. The story, which follows a blue butterfly exiled from her home for being different, is simple yet poignant. With the help of her charming woodland friends, who take her in with gracious, open arms, blue butterfly finds the strength to overcome the tyranny of the bossy butterfly and once again turn the forest into a safe haven for all to inhabit without fear of discrimination.
The book is divided into sixteen chapters, including the epilogue. Each chapter is bite-sized and easily digestible by younger readers, while still remaining enjoyable and engaging to older readers. The delivery of this fantastic story is similar in style to Aesop’s Fables.
Maggie Green, the illustrator, does a superb job at capturing the idyllic imagery of the garden and the glen. Her use of soft pastel watercolors throughout makes both the woodland creatures and the scenery of their home appear magical and precious. The illustrations also help the reader follow along with the dialogue and happenings of the story.
The content is just as welcome in an elementary school classroom as it is to a contemporary adult audience. The author’s ageless message about the value of embracing our own differences, as well as the uniqueness of those around us, is particularly relevant at this current juncture of 2020. This is a read I would gladly pick up over and over again when I feel that I need the inspiration it provides.
LITERARY TITAN 