It's Monday - Final Sharing Till 2020

              Visit Kellee and Ricki at UnleashingReaders and Jen at Teach Mentor Texts to see what they've been reading, along with others who post their favorites. Wherever you are, whatever you celebrate, wishing you all a loving and wonderful holiday! See you next year, a new decade!

            With illustrations by Daniel Miyares and poetic words by Kim Norman, it's a book that no one should miss. Miyares' full-color double-page spreads show the beauty and fun of every season as Norman tells us the why! The children's "waists bulge, bumpy as bullfrogs" during fall pecan picking.  At the end of a snow day in winter, children talk at bedtime: "Remember when the snowman's head fell off?" In spring, visiting Uncle Dean: "Holding our noses, we'll admire a proud pig family." "Come summer, It will be our job to shuck the corn for summer." I'd love to read this to a class, ready to hear about their own memories of the seasons. 

       Who needs words when you have Matthew Cordell's wonderful Illustrations! My granddaughters and I visit our Museum of Nature and Science often and this story reminds me of all that happens, except for that paper airplane that does not keep this boy out of trouble. This family of four walk and look and enjoy, but flying the plane in such a wide-open space makes a distraction that isn't fun, especially when the plane ends in the hands of another child, and the owner snatches it back. Diversity of families plays a part in this wordless picture book where you have to look carefully at expressions, from anger to thoughtfulness to kindness, which creates a very nice story. This is one that really needs to be "seen"!

        You may think it's silly to share a summer book, yet we are nearly at the new year, will be talking of spring, then summer, sooner than you think. This song by Robert Heidbreder praising a summer night will refresh your yearning to open windows and hear those sounds so endearing to us all: from children to cats, from owls to leaves, each one whispers in the night. Qin Leng's art creates the summer's light-hearted feel with softest colors, evening to full dark. 

               Newly out and a marvelous celebration of the season, no matter what and when you celebrate. 

         Poor Thomas (brown fur, unknown animal) has lost his basket of fruits for the annual making of Wintercake. He's looked everywhere. Lucy, his bird friend, helps him look to no avail. He returns home while Lucy continues on, but is caught in a terrible winter storm. is saved by the discovery of a tea room nearby. It is filled with everyone talking about the weather (terrific double-spread, lots of animals, speech bubbles). There is a stranger whom Lucy hears talking about finding a nice basket of dried-up fruits. This is about assumptions, making things right again, and starting new friendships. It's a warm-feeling book that will be about all celebrations.

        An old favorite and a repeat of my review four years ago.

          It gives me shivers when a book comes along at just the right time, and this book, lying on my shelf for weeks, suddenly became one I wanted to read. It’s a made-up story, based on the history of Hanukkah, then Christmas in New York City, 1938. Richard Simon also connects one of his grandfather’s stories to it, a choice of staying in America during this time, or returning to Lithuania. 

          Oskar’s family felt blessed, and the story begins, “until the Night of Broken Glass”. He was put on a ship to America with nothing but an address and a photo of a woman he didn’t know, his Aunt Esther. His father’s last words were “Even in bad times, people can be good. You have to look for the blessings.” When he arrived, it was the last night of Hanukkah and Christmas Eve. Oskar needed to walk 100 blocks to reach his aunt’s home, all the way down Broadway! There is a marvelous map showing his route, and how the story makes Oskar connect to those “blessings” along the way. He begins with Trinity Church, seeing an old woman feeding bread to the pigeons. She offers a part of a roll so he can, too, but notices that he eats it himself. From her pocket, she gives him a small loaf of bread, energy so he can make the long journey. Oskar moves along, has some sweet encounters with others known, like “Mrs. Roosevelt and Count Basie” and unknown, a boy having a snowball fight whom he helps, who offers his mittens when he sees how cold Oskar is. I won’t give all the blessings away, but Mark Siegel’s illustrations are beautiful portraits of each scene, in muted brown tones with just a few bits of color, showing that evening walk. They enhance the memory of one fine night when Oskar found his blessings. I would hope that America will be as kind today as it was to Oskar so many years ago.

        And a special Christmas book I won't ever stop reading every year!

         Learning about Christmas and wanting it very much is this tale's theme, showing wishes with help from a little magic can come true. Trina Schart Hyman's illustrations are marvelous. 

Still Reading: Yes, I am still reading The Toll. Between working at the bookstore, shopping for gifts, sending cards and decorating, getting ready for company, plus my washing machine broke so I am now waiting for a new one, which required a search! The Toll is good and all the parts are finally heading in the same direction (I think). I will finish, and have quite a few others in my stack, excited to read them, too! See you in the new year!