{book} excused

I had thought to save Excuses, Excuses by Anushka Ravishankar for another time, having already shared two of her picture books this month. It suddenly seems apt as I’ve dropped off the map for the long weekend. I am also going to argue that this provides the opportunity to not only continue to revel in Ravishankar’s

for before facial hair & maybe after…

Day Nineteen: Big Bushy Mustache by Gary Soto, illus. Joe Cepeda Knopf Books, 1998 When teacher Mrs. Cortez tells the children to choose their costumes for an upcoming Cinco de Mayo reenactment, Ricky knows exactly what he wants to wear: the big bushy mustache. With the mustache, so much like his father’s, maybe no one

Hush & Peek

Day Fourteen: Hush! A Thai Lullaby and Peek! : A Thai Hide-and-Seek  both by Minfong Ho, illustrated by Holly Meade. —————————————— Hush! A Thai Lullaby by Minfong Ho, Illustrated by Holly Meade. Scholastic 2000 Lilting verse and bold, whimsical pictures tell the story of one mother’s efforts to quiet the animals – from the smallest mosquito to the great big elephant

well, maybe…

Day Twelve: Fairly Fairy Tales   By Esmé Raji Codell, Illustrated by Elisa Chavarri Aladdin 2011. . Gifted writer and educator Esme Raji Codell has written a book that incorporates fractured fairy tales with this kind of parent-child interplay to create a pitch-perfect combination of bedtime read-aloud and fairytales that will delight children and parents!–goodreads Most picture

a warm welcome

Day Nine:  Welcome to My Neighborhood!: A Barrio ABC By Quiara Alegria Hudes; Illus. Shino Arihara Arthur A. Levine 2010. . An ABC introduction to a little girl’s neighborhood in all its rich detail. […] When Ava’s friend Chien visits her in the Barrio, she takes him on a tour of all of her favorite things

a recipe that does NOT lead to disaster

Day Five: The Cazuela That the Farm Maiden Stirred              By Samantha R. Vamos , Illustrated by Rafael López Charlesbridge, 2011 . When a farm girl starts cooking, all the animals want to help. The cow contributes milk, the hen offers eggs, and even the duck makes a special trip to the market. Key English words change to Spanish

of a complex nature

Day Four: Migrant by Maxine Trottier, illus Isabelle Arsenault Groundwood Books/ House of Anansi Press, 2011. Hardcover, borrowed from Library. Anna is the child of Mennonites from Mexico, who have come north to harvest fruit and vegetables. Sometimes she feels like a bird, flying north in the spring and south in the fall, sometimes like a jackrabbit

binding…and beautiful

Day Three: This is the Rope: A Story from the Great Migration by Jacqueline Woodson; illus. James Ransome  Nancy Paulsen Books (Penguin group), 2013. This is the Rope has one of the prettiest picture book covers: the warm colors, the brush work, the suspended movement. In the little girl’s hands is the legacy to which the title alludes.

a fortunate find

Day Two: Goldy Luck and the Three Pandas By Natasha Yim, Illustrated by Grace Zong Charlesbridge 2014.  “One Chinese New Year, Goldy Luck’s mother asks her to take a plate of turnip cakes to the neighbors. The Chans aren’t home, but that doesn’t stop Goldy. She tries out their rice porridge, their chairs, and their beds—with disastrous

{picture book} simply & painfully beautiful

My Father’s Arms are a Boat by Stein Erik Lunde; illus. Øyvind Torseter translated from Norwegian by Kary Dickson Enchanted Lion Books 2012 orig. Eg Kan Ikkje Sove No published by Det Norske Samlaget (2008) It’s never been so quiet. Unable to sleep, a young boy climbs into his father’s arms. Feeling the warmth and