Children's Books discussion

In July, let's continue our Summer Scavenger Hunt. Try to find the following picture books:

A book featuring a summer holiday in your country (such as 4th of July, Canada Day, Bastille Day etc.)

A book about a county fair or festival

A book about a road trip

A book celebrating friendship (International Friendship Day is July 30th)

A book with a summer fruit on the cover (think watermelon, strawberries, cherries... I realize this is somewhat regional which is part of the fun--what fruit says "summer" where you're from?)

Enjoy and Happy Summer!
...I will be back after July 4th ;-)

Canada Day is July First. And I have not found all that many picture books on Canada Day I would consider good (but I will do some more checking on Open Library).

Gander the Goose Celebrates Canada

Published in 2017 in honour of Canada's 150th anniversary (and I do tend to get a major kick out of telling people that Canada is actually a number of years older than Germany as a nation, that in fact many of the countries of Europe, although of course with a very rich and thousands of years old history, actually have often only become nations in the modern sense of the word in the late 19th and early to middle 20th centuries), I was really hoping and even expecting to very much enjoy Linda LeBourdais-Near's Gander the Goose Celebrates Canada (mostly because when I quickly skimmed through the book at a local Dundas, Ontario, independent bookstore yesterday afternoon, I very much appreciated and even loved Janice Barber's both realistic and sweetly imaginative, evocative accompanying illustrations of the official birds of Canada, of our provincial and territorial birds).

However and that being all said, and as much as I have indeed enjoyed the presented avian information, the entire premise of this book, of Gander the Canada Goose (as the unofficial bird species of Canada) traveling from province to province and from territory to territory to find the perfect song (and with ALL of the official bird species encountered on the way, from the Atlantic Puffin of Newfoundland and Labrador to the Rock Ptarmigan of Nunavut and even Gander himself being described as having a less than stellar and not melodious enough voice and in the end only our national anthem of "Oh Canada" being considered as beautiful and as patriotic, as Canadian enough), well all of this has felt at best rather artificial and contrived and at worst, Linda LeBourdais-Near's narrative even feels a trifle insulting in so far that she basically does seem to state that NONE of the songs, that NONE of the birdcalls of Canada's official bird species are supposedly enchanting and sweet enough, are to be positively compared to human voices singing "Oh Canada" (a pretty strange and apples to oranges comparison anyhow, but really, it also does make my blood boil a bit to have to read that puffins, blue jays, chickadees etc. supposedly and according to the author and her sounding board, Gander the Canada Goose, have voices that are seemingly ugly and grating, if not even auditorially annoying and infuriating).

And while I could and maybe should still recommend Gander the Goose Celebrates Canada for the interesting information on the thirteen official and one unofficial bird species featured (and indeed, Janice Barber's avian illustrations are as already mentioned above most definitely absolutely lovely), the artificial, fancifully contrived and to and for me personally at times pretty much rather insulting and denigrating to birds text, makes me rather cringe and only consider a two star ranking at best for Gander the Goose Celebrates Canada (and I really only do recommend this book with major reservations, as there are sadly also no supplemental suggestions for further reading and study on Canada, on our national anthem nor on any of the bird species included). Very disappointing, especially because with a bit more nuance, less authorial judgment and in my opinion misguided comparative patriotism (as well with as an adequate bibliography), Gander the Goose Celebrates Canada could have been a truly marvellous basic introduction to the official provincial and territorial birds of Canada (and also to the Canada Goose, to our unofficial bird, which is both loved and despised, but does often represent our nation).

Sumer fruits

I posted about this one in last month's as well, but I really enjoyed Saving Strawberry Farm by Deborah Hopkinson.

Set during the Depression, a community comes together to save the town's strawberry farm, a local institution, from auction. This would be a really good history book for young students to learn about some of the hardships while focusing on the stories of people and the power of community rather than on the hardships. Everyone can relate to losing something special, and feel for the strawberry farm owner when she thinks she'll lose her farm.

I learned something from this one as well. I'd never heard of penny auctions before, and YA historical fiction about the Great Depression and people's lives is one of my favorite niche genres.

Bonus for holidays, it's set on the 4th of July and talks a little bit about how people found ways to celebrate even without money.

Titles I want to read or reread for this month's thread:

Summer holiday:
Enzo and the Fourth of July Races by Garth Stein
O, Say Can You See? America's Symbols, Landmarks, and Important Words by Sheila Keenan (I am both upset by the politicization of the Fourth of July and what it means (especially after attending some Juneteenth events last month), but also really love the festivities, and I want to see it as a teaching experience, which is why I bought this one in my latest Thriftbooks order)
(I'll try to look for some Juneteenth books too, my coworker told me we got a new one in at the curriculum library)

Fair or festival: I honestly have no idea, although I know we've got some on the Iowa State Fair

Road trip:
Going Down Home with Daddy by Kelly Starling Lyons

Friendship: I have so many for this one
Tomas and the Library Lady by Pat Mora
The Friendly Four by Eloise Greenfield
Owen and Mzee: The True Story of a Remarkable Friendship (I love interspecies friendships)
The Caiman by Maria Eugenia Manrique (human/animal bonds are great too)
Big Red Lollipop by Rukhsana Khan (sibling friendship)
City Dog, Country Frog by Mo Willems
Flora and the Flamingo by Molly Idle (wordless human/animal)
My Three Best Friends and Me, Zulay by Cari Best
The Name Jar by Yangsook Choi
The Old Woman Who Named Things by Cynthia Rylant
Once Upon a Time by Niki Daly

Fruits:
A Song of Frutas by Margarita Engle
Peach Heaven by Yangsook Choi (this one looks amazing)
One Child, One Seed: A South African Counting Book by Kathryn Cave
How Groundhog's Garden Grew by Lynne Cherry
Count on Pablo by Barbara deRubertis

So both Heather Kissock’s book Canada Day and Molly Aloian’s Canada Day do a basic and generally decent enough job introducing both Canada Day as a celebration and a short history of Canada (including the birth of our national anthem and how a red maple leaf finally became our flag). But there is nothing really special enough in both books to take the time for me to pen an actual review, except to say that both books are suitable for children above the age of six or so, are quite informative and dense, but that personally, I am definitely rather ho-hum with my reaction and pretty annoyed that both authors have not bothered with a bibliography.

I do find it interesting though that there are so many picture books about July 4th and so few about Canada Day. But considering how many of those July 4th picture books tend to present a for and to me often quite uncomfortable sense of nationalism and superiority, I am actually rather happy I have not found all that many books and that both Heather Kissock and Molly Aloian actually do manage to adequately celebrate Canada as a nation without yucky nationalism and without an attitude of Canada being better and more worthy than other countries.

Summer Fruit on the Cover -- Strawberries



The Grey Lady and the Strawberry Snatcher

Although I can to a certain and very small and minute point appreciate Molly Bang's illustrative acumen and craft, I just do not at all like this book, I just do not even remotely appreciate The Grey Lady and the Strawberry Snatcher (its Caldecott Honour designation quite notwithstanding). Yes, the illustrations in this wordless picture book offering are indeed expressive and bold, but especially the strawberry snatcher is presented and depicted as much much too massively creepy for my personal tastes, and truly, even potentially offensive in appearance (and as a child, he or rather it, would almost certainly have given me nightmares, especially the long and pointed grasping fingers, with their weirdly reddish tips). I guess if The Grey Lady and the Strawberry Snatcher were not a wordless picture book (and thus, of course, entirely dependent on its illustrations), I might have enjoyed this a wee bit more (as I always find I can handle a creepy and frightening narrative much better and much more easily than likewise uncanny illustrations, and the visuals of the blue slinking, creeping and constantly grasping snatcher are simply too chilling and weird for me, and I actually even tend to think that the main protagonist, the Grey Lady, is illustrated in a rather unflattering manner as well, not in a frightening manner, but in a fashion that I have personally not all that much enjoyed). And thus, but one star for Molly Bang's The Grey Lady and the Strawberry Snatcher (although I do realise that illustrations and whether one likes them, whether one can handle them, is often an entirely personal matter and thus I would never go so far as not recommending this wordless picture book, but do leave the caveat that I for one have found especially the depictions of the Strawberry Snatcher frightening and the stuff of nightmares).

Summer Fruit on the Cover -- Diverse Summer Fruit



Each Peach Pear Plum

A delightfully fun and entertaining way to introduce toddlers to classical nursery rhyme and folklore characters (as well as basic rhyming verses), Janet and Alan Ahlberg's Each Peach Pear Plum promises and will in all likelihood also deliver hours upon hours of I-spy enjoyment (and not just of the specific characters presented in, featured in the text, as the bright, lively and descriptively detailed illustrations might also and repeatedly be used for additional object searches, such as getting children to locate various types of fruit, animals, furniture, crockery and the like). And furthermore, with slightly older children, parents, caregivers, librarians could and should also consider using the illustrations of Each Peach Pear Plum for independent oral storytelling activities and practice, for encouraging youngsters to create, to make up their own descriptively fun tales and anecdotes about Tom Thumb, Cinderella and the other nursery rhyme and folklore characters mentioned and depicted (illustrated). Most highly recommended (and honestly, if someone is indeed and sadly offended by the fact that the Three Bears are carrying guns and going hunting, please do note that no animals are either shot at or killed and that the image of Baby Bear tripping and causing a stray bullet to dislodge Baby Bunting and his crib can always and easily be used for a bit of a discussion regarding potentially unsafe and dangerous types of behavior, can always be used as a teaching and learning moment).

Summer Fruit on the Cover -- Watermelon



The Watermelon Seed

Although yes, I do tend to find Greg Pizzoli's brightly and boldly green and pink hued illustrations just a trifle too cartoon-like for my own aesthetic tastes, his The Watermelon Seed is truly so so much fun and also at the same time something to which every child (as well as every adult who remembers his/her childhood) can likely and easily relate. For honestly, who has not had fears and worries of having a watermelon grow inside of one's stomach or guts because one has swallowed a watermelon seed (or a sunflower, a pumpkin, a walnut tree, whatever, depending on the type of seeds ingested)? Fun, engaging, humorous and for me personally, I also do smilingly appreciate that Pizzoli's crocodile protagonist and narrator enjoys watermelon covered with and in salt as dinner/supper fare, as that is and always has been one of my absolutely favourite ways of consuming melons. However and truth be told I would definitely have enjoyed and appreciated The Watermelon Seed a trifle if not even considerably more if after his initial fears, Greg Pizzoli's crocodile had lastingly learned that swallowing watermelon seeds is unproblematic and not dangerous (for having the same thing occur at the end of The Watermelon Seed, with the crocodile once again swallowing a watermelon seed and proceeding to get worried, while I guess potentially funny for some if not many readers, this does kind of annoy me and makes me roll my eyes a bit).

Summer Fruit on the Cover -- Blueberries



Peter in Blueberry Land

Like with the vast majority of Floris Books of Edinburgh's editions that feature so-called translations, that present English language renderings of classical continental Western European children's literature picture books, Elsa Beskow's Peter in Blueberry Land (the original 1901 Swedish title being Puttes äventyr i blåbärsskogen) is really to be considered more a lyrical prose adaptation, as the original text is actually rhyming poetry (and yes, I even obtained a copy of the original Swedish version in order to be able to verify this). However, since poetry is often difficult, and at times even almost impossible to adequately literally translate, I actually have indeed very much enjoyed this here adaptation (although truth be told, and my general appreciation notwithstanding, there are still and nevertheless two niggling little issues with regard to semantics and word usage that at least for me personally have proven annoying and frustrating enough to only consider Floris Books' Peter in Blueberry Land a high three star book, but still one to be considered a sweet and lovely reading treasure and pleasure, especially because of and due to Elsa Beskow's gloriously detailed Jugendstil-like accompanying illustrations, pictures that shine with descriptiveness, minutely meticulous realism, but at the same time are imaginative, magical and tenderly fantastical, simply, utterly perfect in truly every conceivable way).

Now I do not want to always be so overly picky and demanding, but I do have to with a bit of consternation ask WHY the red berries in Peter in Blueberry Land, in the Floris Books adaptation, are called cranberries and not what they indeed are, namely lingonberries. Sorry, but while lingonberries make sense, and are like blueberries sweet enough to eat on their own, cranberries are tart, bitter and generally cooked with sugar to make cranberry sauce, as they really are much much too sour to eat like one would eat blueberries and lingonberries (and in the Swedish original, of which as already mentioned above, I do own a copy, the red berries are most definitely and indeed described by Elsa Beskow as being lingonberries and this should really and absolutely have been kept in the Floris Books adaptation, especially since the term lingonberries does indeed exist in the English language and I thus really cannot at all understand why in Peter in Blueberry Land, the anonymous adaptor has chosen to use North American cranberries for the red berries Peter collects alongside of the blueberries, has used a type of berry both not native to Sweden and not really all that palatable raw in the first place). And finally and furthermore, I also have to say with a bit of frustrated sadness that in Peter in Blueberry Land, I do rather and much wish that the Swedish tradition of NAME DAY had been retained instead of changing this to the mother's birthday, that the reason why Peter is out in the woods gathering or rather attempting to gather two baskets full of blueberries and lingonberries is the latter, is that his mother's birthday is tomorrow (and not like in the original, her name day). Name day is an important part of Swedish culture and tradition and as such, also a potential learning moment for other cultures and nations (readers), and thus (in my humble opinion), it should have been kept as such in Peter in Blueberry Land and not been changed to a standard birthday (and honestly, if the textual adapter, the writer, or if the publisher had been worried about English language readers perhaps not understanding the tradition of name day, a simple footnote so easily could have been added).

But nevertheless, and even with my personal quibbles with regard to mostly some relatively minor vocabulary and word usage choices, I do still very highly recommend Floris Books' adaptation, I do highly recommend Peter in Blueberry Land (especially as I also seriously doubt that the intended audience, young children from about the age of three to six, would notice and even likely all that much care about questions of semantics and whether Peter's mother will be celebrating her name day or her birthday).

Road Trips

Melted Star Journey

Lyrical and sweetly, poetically magical, Nancy Hundal's Melted Star Journey gracefully and with flowing cadence describes and depicts the sights, the myriad of evocative observations a young boy perceives and makes on his and his family's journey home by car from visiting friends or relatives on a rainy night (and from the illustrations, Luke and his family obviously live in the Vancouver/Victoria British Columbia area). A true feast for the senses (and yes, for all of the senses, not just vision, as the other senses are most definitely equally implied), Melted Star Journey presents both a lyrical and tender family-type story and also passionately celebrates the power of imagination and observation, and how through the rain-splattered car windows, the outside, the surroundings look or at least tend to appear fuzzy and misty, even somewhat colourfully, playfully abstract (hence the title, Melted Star Journey, as to young Luke looking out of a car window full of tiny and moving raindrops, street lights, car lights, traffic lights etc. have an appearance of melting, of dripping watery globlets of sparkling and glittering starlight). And as to Karen Reezuch's accompanying illustrations for Melted Star Journey, while in and of themselves I would not in fact consider them personal favourites (as especially her human figures seem to be a trifle too realistically stagnant and in one's face for and to me), they actually as a whole, as a collective entity do work very very well in conjunction with and to the lyricism and poetry of Nancy Hundal's narrative, for especially how Karen Reezuch has depicted the translucent effects of raindrops, of water on light does in every way totally and utterly, marvellously mirror and reflect the author's printed words, how Luke with poetic imaginativeness perceives and sees his surroundings out of his family's darkened and rain-drenched, rain-splattered car windows. Four stars, and highly recommended, although I do not think that Melted Car Journey is actually in current print (but it does appear to be still pretty easily and relatively cheaply available used online).

Friendship

Yo! Yes?

Truth be told, illustrations of Chris Raschka's award winning Yo! Yes? do not really appeal all that much to me on a personal and aesthetic level (for while bright and lively, the facial expressions in particular do feel a bit overly vague and flatly washed-out), but indeed I do have to absolutely and with pleasure admit that they do work exceedingly well with the sparse but effective text (mirroring its simplicity, but also somewhat expanding on the bare-bones printed words by also showing the changing emotions of the two lonely boys, from shyness, from surprise, to delight and joyful anticipation). And while Chris Raschka's presented narrative might, indeed, be almost ridiculously short (only thirty-four words in total and yes, I counted), and is also not really all that philosophically deep and probing, the important message of friendship and that making friends is both essential and often not even all that difficult if but the will and the desire for this are present, this shines with an eternal flame, brightly and sweetly. And while the last page of Yo! Yes? is by necessity and nature a bit open-ended with regard to the future progression of the two boys' emerging companionship, it does leave the distinct and positive, hopeful impression that there will now be fun and joyful playtimes for each, for both. Recommended! Now I do (and personally) find it somewhat off-putting to say the least that the book description for Yo! Yes? makes such a point claiming that Chris Raschka is supposedly celebrating differences and diversity. For sorry, but EXCEPT for the entirely cosmetic difference that one of the boys is African American and the other is Caucasian, there are really NO major differences between the two, but rather very many similarities (yes, the one child is perhaps a bit less shy and thus likely a bit more extroverted, but both are obviously lonely and in need of friendship and fun). And in my opinion, Yo? Yes! (aside from celebrating friendship) is therefore and first and foremost also a glowing paean to the fact that similarities usually outweigh differences and that the latter are often on the surface and thus only skin-deep anyhow (and therefore, in my humble opinion, the book description, somewhat and indeed quite in error seems to focus on a concept that I do not really believe is in any way the main moral, the main theme presented by, featured in Yo! Yes?, as I personally feel that both Chris Raschka's text and his illustrations mostly and primarily focus on equivalences, demonstrate how most children are very much akin and alike, no matter what their ethnic backgrounds and cultures happen to be).

Friendship

King of the Sky

Although I do very much appreciate how the homesick young boy in King of the Sky (an immigrant to Wales from Italy) is befriended by the elderly and increasingly infirm former miner Mr. Evans (mostly due to their shared interest in racing pigeons, although I must admit that I would have much preferred a different type of shared hobby being depicted in King of the Sky as I am on an emotional level rather majorly against breeding and racing pigeons for sport and leisure, just like I am also against falconry and hawking), personally I have found King of the Sky both rather dreary and gloomy and equally not really informative enough with regard to in particular the young boy's immigration status. For yes, as an immigrant myself, I certainly am more than a bit wondering about the specific reasons as to why the boy and his family have moved from Italy to Wales in the first place. And that this is not covered or even remotely touched upon by author Nicola Davies in her text for King of the Sky, that does kind of bother me as for one, I am certainly personally curious and do want to know and for two, not mentioning the reasons for migration, the reasons for the family having settled in Wales kind of at least to and for me makes it almost appear as though this is not important (and frankly, I for one always do think that the reasons for immigration, emigration are in every way as important and as essential to consider and discuss as the act of migration itself and the homesickness and problems with culture shock and the like that oh so often do accompany moving, relocating to a different country). Three stars for King of the Sky, for a sweet but rather gloomy and lacking in certain for me important details tale of an intergenerational friendship (and how said friendship and the shared hobby of Mr. Evans and our young narrator immigrant to Wales racing pigeons finally does make the young boy feel that he is in fact home, that Wales will or at least can be a new "Heimat" for him), for a generally sweet and emotionally charged combination of Nicola Davies' narrative and Laura Carlin's both expressive and esoteric often whimsically wispy accompanying pictures, but indeed, still a story that does nevertheless leave me a bit personally unsatisfied and not wowed with and by reading pleasure.

Friendship

Linnea in Monet's Garden

Christina Björk's Linnea in Monet's Garden (which was originally published in Sweden in 1985 under the title of Linnea i Målarens Trädgård, with the English language translation penned in 1987 by Joan Sandin) has been on my to-read list for almost a decade, and I am happy to say that I have now remedied this shortcoming, that I have both read and yes indeed also very much enjoyed Linnea in Monet's Garden (although truth be told, I do very much wish that I were fluent in Swedish and could thus tackle Linnea in Monet's Garden in the original, or better yet, that a dual language English/Swedish edition of Linnea i Målarens Trädgård were available). And yes, I very much do appreciate the smooth combination (the back and forth) of fiction and non-fiction in Linnea in Monet's Garden (and am actually rather surprised to have discovered quite a bit of hitherto personally unknown to me details and information regarding French Impressionist painter Claude Monet's life as an artist, including that for the 19th century, Monet definitely lived not only rather unconventionally, but also in a relationship with more than one woman simultaneously and in the same house). With Linnea's first person narrative voice shining brightly and sweetly in the fiction sections of Linnea in Monet's Garden, one can really emotionally feel and broadly smile at her effervescent joy of discovery and her constant delight as she and her elderly neighbour Mr. Bloom (who is a retired gardener) visit France to follow and explore both Claude Monet's art and his life. And while I do know and realise that there are in fact sone readers who seem to find it strange and even potentially problematic that a young girl like Linnea is allowed to travel to France without her family and even share a hotel room with an elderly gentleman who is not of her immediate family, frankly and in my opinion, there is absolutely nothing even remotely bordering on inappropriateness with and in Christina Björk's and by extension also translator Joan Landin's texts (since the joyful and engaging first person narration of Linnea in Monet's Garden really does demonstrate that Linnea's relationship with Mr. Bloom is comparable to a grandfather and granddaughter scenario, sweet, encouraging and with Mr. Bloom always acting like a treasured, understanding friend as well as a teacher). Now as to Lena Anderson's accompanying illustrations, they are bright, descriptive and totally capture not only Linnea's joy and and delightfully bubbly personality, they also present a glowing visual homage to France and to Monet's garden in Giverny (as well as depicting Mr. Bloom as being in all ways a kindly and grandfatherly soul whom I personally would definitely have wanted as a friend when I was Linnea's age). With the many reproductions of Claude Monet's signature impressionistic artwork (as well as the additional information on French and in particular Parisian museums either specialising in Claude Monet or showing the art of French Impressionism, not to mention the suggestions for additional fun and educational things to do if one visits Paris) being appreciated added bonuses, I easily and happily grant a full five stars to Linnea in Monet's Garden (and this even though I personally do wish that the short bibliographical list contained more than just five books, since well, at least Christina Björk has actually included a bibliography in Linnea in Monet's Garden and that indeed, all of the included tomes on Claude Monet's life and art do look very thorough and academically appealing to and for me).

Friendship

A Moon for Moe and Mo

Now the story of Moses (Moe) Feldman and Mohammed (Mo) Hassan's emerging friendship as they and their mothers are shopping, are preparing to celebrate Rosh Hashanah (for Moe) and Ramadan (for Mo) in Jane Breskin Zalben's A Moon for Moe and Mo is aside from the interesting and enlightening cultural information about both celebrations (including recipes for rugelach and date cookies) first and foremost a sweet celebration of similarities over and above any and all perceived differences. For while Moses Feldman might be Jewish and Mohammed Hassan Muslim, both boys actually have many things in common (and yes, they are also portrayed in A Moon for Moe and Mo as basically, as simply two young boys living on opposite ends of the same street in Brooklyn who happen to meet and become friends). And indeed, both Jane Breskin Zalben's featured narrative and Mehrdokht Amini's accompanying artwork, they do render A Moon for Moe and Moe into a truly loving and all encompassing heartfelt and cheering homage to not only cross-cultural friendship and understanding but also and very much importantly presenting the essential truth and reality that cultural, ethnic, religious differences are generally only skin deep so to speak and are therefore often really and truly unimportant and rather insignificant (which in A Moon for Moe and Mo is not only verbally but also equally aesthetically and in my opinion gloriously demonstrated and presented, as Mehrdokht Amini's pictures equally do show how similar the Feldman and the Hassan families are on a physical and visual level as poignantly and as delightfully as Jane Breskin-Zalben presents this truth with her narrative, with her printed words).

Friendship

The Faithful Friend

So yes indeed, Robert D. San Souci's The Faithful Friend presents an enchanting and exquisite Caribbean variant (well actually, more a French Caribbean derivation, from the Island of Martinique) of primarily folktale type 516 on the Aarne-Thompson registry (Faithful John, der treue Johannes, which is probably its most universally known title, as collected/presented by the Brothers Grimm). And being much familiar with the Grimms' tale, I also immediately and with considerable pleasure did notice the numerous and striking similarities between it and The Faithful Friend. But that being said, this Martinique variation of folktale 516 is actually in many ways a combination of two distinct folktale types, as there are also evocative and intriguing vestiges of folktale 505/506 present (The Grateful Old Man, The Grateful Dead) due to the fact that Hippolyte and also Clement (as well as Pauline) are ultimately saved by the reappearing beggar to whom they had given a proper Christian burial on their journey to Pauline's Uncle's mansion (and who has now received express permission by le Bon-Die, le Bon-Dieu, the good Lord, to return to earth to demonstrate his gratitude by helping Hippolyte, Clement, and Clement's bride Pauline, whilst also destroying Pauline's uncle, the evil magician Monsieur Zabocat and his power, his influence, once and for all). And really, as much as I have always enjoyed the Grimms' tale of Faithful John, I actually do now rather prefer the ending in The Faithful Friend, as the former ending, with the rescue, the restoring of faithful servant John to life at first being contingent on the required blood sacrifice of the prince and his princess' two children (to which the couple does readily agree, and it is ultimately the simple act of agreeing, that mere willingness to sacrifice the children that allows faithful John to be released from his bondage) has always seemed a trifle too potentially gruesome and strangely Old Testament to me (reminding me of God's command to Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac). Now Robert D. San Souci's adapted narrative reads smoothly and touchingly, harkening both to the European origins of The Faithful Friend (the whole basic scenario, the fact that Hippolyte saves Clement and Pauline three times, and must, after being forced to publicly speak of his actions, of why he has acted such as he did, be turned to stone) and to distinctly Caribbean (and with that, of course, also potentially African) themes and influences. The drumming, the zombies, the entire scenario of the returning deceased beggar at God's command to show his gratitude to both Clement and Hippolyte moves The Faithful Friend far beyond a mere reimagining of a European Faithful John like offering (combining not only different folklore traditions, but also the Roman Catholic concept that doing good deeds, being helpful, caring, even to strangers, to an abandoned and deceased beggar's corpse will have or at least can have positive consequences for ALL and sundry). And well, as to Brian Pinkney's accompanying illustrations, they are simply glorious and as descriptive, as stunning, and with that, as informative as the author's text (as the printed, the recounted words of Robert D. San Souci's adapted narrative). Not only do the illustrations present an evocative, atmospheric feeling and scope of and for the Caribbean, of and for 18th and 19th century Martinique, they also and often rather expand on the narrative, the recounted plotline (showing visually what the text only hints at and and sometimes does not even actually portray). For example, Brian Pinkney's illustrated zombies are NOT the standard modern depictions of zombies as gruesome monster like entities with rotting flesh. No, they are depicted as three gorgeous and in many ways enticing looking young women, three witches perhaps, but really, they are basically three beautiful siren types who as zombies are completely under the spell of the sorcerer, the magician who made them into his acolytes, his minions. The three are thus not depicted, not illustrated by Brian Pinkney as physically demonic looking entities, but simply as human beings under the all encompassing zombie spell of Monsieur Zabocat (and really, truly, that is what zombies originally were considered, were believed to be, normal, everyday humans under the spell and command of a wizard, a sorcerer, living, but existing with no free will of their own, obligated, forced to perform their master's bidding). A wonderful and magical, perfect marriage of text and image (highly recommended to and for anyone, both children and adults, and more than well deserving of the Caldecott honour destination it received for Brian Pinkney's pictorial renderings), the detailed and informative author's note at the back is an appreciated and wonderful added bonus (much increasing the folkloric, the teaching and learning values of The Faithful Friend). And although much of the supplemental information presented by Robert D. San Souci is, in fact, already known to me personally, I remain very much pleased and thrilled that there exists such an author's note, that such vastly informative an author's note has indeed been included (and when I remember the to and for me rather lacking and barely adequate author's note in San Souci's 1989 The Talking Eggs, I am both pleased and even very much a bit in awe that the author has obviously learned a lesson and decided that his folktale adaptations do require and need detailed, informative author's notes). For the supplemental notes provided in and for The Faithful Friend indeed contain very much appreciated and in my humble opinion folklorically even necessary, interesting information and details on the genesis and origin of this tale, and how a number of distinct folktale types were and remain successfully and beautifully, entrancingly combined in The Faithful Friend (in Robert D. San Souci's delightful and visually stunning Caribbean folktale adaptation).

Friendship

Mr. Goethe's Garden

As an adult and as someone with graduate degrees in German literature, I truly do oh so very much adore Mr. Goethe's Garden, Diana Cohn's sweet little fictional account of the unusual and art-inspired friendship between German literary icon Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and a young girl named Anna, during the last months of his life (thus in 1831/1832), when Goethe at over eighty years of age was spending most of his days either working to finish his masterpiece, his Faust or painting and sketching the flora of his Weimar garden (although I do have to wonder rather a bit why the author has called Goethe Mr. Goethe and not Herr von Goethe). And due to the fact and truth that during my university studies, we of course both read much of Goethe's oeuvre (from his poetry to his dramas and comedies) and by mere necessity usually tended to mostly focus on Johann Wolfgang von Goethe as an author, I indeed so much do appreciate that Ms. Cohn with her Mr. Goethe's Garden illuminates that although Joahnn Wolfgang von Goethe is now mostly and generally regarded and considered as primarily an author of literature, as basically the German equivalent of Shakespeare in many ways, he was actually a true so-called Renaissance Man and even personally often considered himself more a man of science (especially with regard to biology and botany) and yes, an artist (the Goethe House in Weimar, Germany, has much of Goethe's artwork on display and it certainly is most accomplished, it most definitely demonstrates that alongside of his undeniable poetic, his literary genius, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was also a most talented painter and sketcher, an all round genius). With regard to the actual narrative, the story at hand, I very much have both enjoyed and appreciated how Diana Cohn has with Mr. Goethe's Garden textually and narratively portrayed both a pretty well standardly realistic picture of mid 19th century Weimar, Germany and that the emerging friendship between Goethe and young Anna is depicted and presented in an organic, realistic and thus thankfully also not fantastic and overly fanciful manner (of course, I do realise that it does help to have read multiple biographies on Goethe and to thus also be well aware of the fact that during the last years of his life, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe did in fact often choose to surround himself with children, whose company he seemed to prefer to that of often demanding and fawning adults and with whom he then engaged in a quasi grandparent and grandchildren type of relationship, with him often teaching, enlightening and the children learning about life, art and literature). A truly wonderful and tender tale of intergenerational friendship is Mr. Goethe's Garden, of art and art appreciation, and yes, also a story of how art can and should be taught (as Anna's drawing and painting sessions with Goethe in his garden are indeed a glowing portrait of a teacher and his eager pupil, of Anna organically and without constraints and painful learning being taught not only drawing/painting skills, but also about botany and science by Goethe, by her new "elderly" friend). Four well-deserved stars, but with the necessary caveat that Goethe's death is indeed featured (that in 1832, almost immediately after having completed his Faust play, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe dies peacefully in the armchair by his bed at the age of 82).). And finally, as to Paul Mirocha's accompanying illustrations, especially the watercolour renderings of the diverse plants and flowers Goethe and Anna paint together and by themselves are simply glorious, descriptive, realistic, but at the same time finely nuanced and imaginative, and as such, they totally and utterly capture the spirit of Diana Cohn's narrative, her printed words, especially the scenes where Goethe is either explaining his love of flowers to Anna or showing Anna how flowers grow and how one can capture this on paper. And while the likely acrylic images of Weimar, Germany and the human movers and shakers of Mr. Goethe's Garden (including Goethe and Anna) do sometimes feel a trifle gaudy and garish (in particular if compared to the delicate watercolour hues of the illustrated flora), they do still work well enough with the text, with Diana Cohn's story and plotline, although in my opinion, they do not even remotely approach the magic, the aesthetic beauty of the flower and plant renditions, which really do turn Mr. Goethe's Garden into a true visual celebration, a total and esoteric feast for the eyes. So if you are in fact considering Mr. Goethe's Garden primarily for information on Johann Wolfgang von Goethe as a German author, as a literary icon of much renown, you will most probably be somewhat disappointed, for aside from brief mentions that Goethe is working on, is trying to finish his Faust play (and that he dies almost immediately after having completed it), ALL of the contents, the themes, the entire story of Mr. Goethe's Garden is entirely about Johann Wolfgang von Goethe as an artist and scientist (about his botanical knowledge) and of course his friendship with Anna. However, Mr. Goethe' Garden is definitely truly and utterly a marvellous and most highly recommended story for everyone, and I for one much appreciate that the author, that Diana Cohn has chosen to focus on aspects of Goethe's life and work that are more often than not somewhat ignored (with the supplemental author's notes being an added bonus, although I sure would have liked and appreciated a bibliographical list with suggestions for further reading).

Fairs and Festivals

Country Fair

Well, if I were only, if were solely to consider Gail Gibbons’ featured (written) narrative for her 1994 picture book Country Fair I would probably be considering around three and a half stars as an average rating (and to consider Country Fair as most suitable for four to around six year olds). For although I certainly have not been all that majorly textually enchanted by Gibbons’ stylistics and her choice of vocabulary (as I do find Country Fair more than a bit unimaginative and as such kind of lacking in sweetness and charm), I do have to admit that what Gail Gibbons writes about country fairs is informative and provides a nicely factual introduction (from the original planning phases of a country fair to the celebratory fireworks that often conclude it, and with there also being a in Country Fairs a short blurb on the history of fairs and how American and Canadian country fairs are generally descended from European festivals, harvest and hunting celebrations, with Gail Gibbons even pointing out that the English noun fair comes from the Latin word for festival, feria, and therefore of course having nothing to do with justice).

However, there are some issues with Country Fair that have made me lower my original three and a half star rating to only two stars. For indeed, and first and foremost, I personally really do find Gail Gibbons' accompanying artwork for Country Fair ugly, one dimensional, and so totally stagnant and lacking in visual emotion and movement that in my humble opinion, Gibbons' pictures for Country Fair, they truly do in fact and unfortunately render her, they make Gail Gibbons’s featured text even more unimaginative. In other words, Gibbons' severely lacklustre illustrations majorly manage to drag down her already a bit tediously penned and unspectacular presented narrative, and that this, as well as the fact that like usual, there is no bibliography with suggested titles for further reading found in Country Fair, yes indeed, any potential reading pleasure and joy have been and are being severely limited and lessened for both my adult self and equally so for my inner child and pretty much to the point that I most definitely can and will only recommend Country Fair and Gail Gibbons as an author with big time reservations and caveats.

Summer Fruit on the Cover -- Blueberries



Wild Berries

Now what makes Julie Flett's Wild Berries so perfect for and to me? Is it that she, that the author tells such a wonderful and yes also really deceptively simple little story of a young Cree boy and his grandmother going out for a joyful romp in the woods to pick, to harvest wild blueberries (as well as all of the fauna they encounter and see while gathering their berries, from ants to foxes and that Clarence actually leaves some of the blueberries he has collected as gift to the animals of the woods)? Is it Julie Flett's artwork that always enchants and fills me with magical aesthetic delight, and especially her use of the colour red? Yes, to a point, to a large extent even, it is indeed the wonderful combination of Julie Flett's text and her accompanying pictures that have made Wild Berries a sweet (and with a bit of a pun definitely intended here, as I also very much do appreciate the inclusion of a recipe for wild blueberry jam) and in every way smile-inducing personal reading experience. But what takes Wild Berries from being simply a delightful story with equally thus accompanying pictures and renders it into what I personally would call linguistic perfection is that throughout the narrative of Wild Berries Julie Flett also presents fourteen Cree nouns, nouns that are presented in a red and easy to see font and given alongside of their English translations, not to mention that at the back of the book, Julie Flett features a detailed and yes above all also very easy to follow and understand pronunciation guide, which indeed has totally and utterly delighted linguistically interested I and has most definitely made Wild Berries in all ways a five star book and most highly recommended.

Great to see so many wonderful books listed already! Thank you! I'm so eager to dive into books for this month.

For FAIRS, I have some on request at the library but Corgiville Fair sprang to mind. I read it some years ago and wasn't wowed, but this may just be personal taste. Here's my review:
I'm not sure why I didn't like this more... I think it just seemed a bit odd to me with the up-right walking corgis tending goats (if dogs walk and go to fairs, why are goats pets?) and the ending seemed a bit disjointed and unexplained (and, the poor goat!!!). Still, some of the pictures were really cute--I liked the detail in the fair booths and the parade. I usually love Tasha Tudor, so maybe this one just didn't mesh with me. I see a lot of other people loved it!

Manybooks wrote: "Summer Fruit on the Cover -- Diverse Summer Fruit



Each Peach Pear Plum

A delightfully fun and entertaining way to introduce toddlers to cla..."

I remember this one fondly. Also, Happy (Belated) Canada Day! It's so interesting to hear about the traditions through your reviews.

Manybooks wrote: "Summer Fruit on the Cover -- Blueberries



Peter in Blueberry Land

Like with the vast majority of Floris Books of Edinburgh's editions that..."

Elsa Beskow is a favorite illustrator for me. I wish our library had more of her books! I will have to try ILL. Our district in CA had several of them so I read them myself but I would love to share her work with my children now.

SUMMER FRUIT: Our library doesn't have any of these, unfortunately, but I thought I would add for the list:

Berry Magic
Mouse's First Summer (board book features watermelon on cover)
The Very Berry Counting Book

Berries definitely.
I've ordered some that have holidays around the world.
Friendship, gosh, how to choose!

Another fun challenge, thank you!

I absolutely look forward to learning what everyone's favorites are!

Kathryn wrote: "Great to see so many wonderful books listed already! Thank you! I'm so eager to dive into books for this month.

For FAIRS, I have some on request at the library but Corgiville Fair s..."

Corgiville Fair is available on Open Library but the cover image already is creepy for me.

Manybooks wrote: "Kathryn wrote: "Great to see so many wonderful books listed already! Thank you! I'm so eager to dive into books for this month.

For FAIRS, I have some on request at the library but [book:Corgivill..."

Since you're not a big fan of anthropomorphic animals, I don't think you'll enjoy this at all. Even though I generally like anthropomorphic animals and Tasha Tudor, I found this one rather icky.

Cheryl struggles to catch up wrote: "Berries definitely.
I've ordered some that have holidays around the world.
Friendship, gosh, how to choose!

Another fun challenge, thank you!

I absolutely look forward to learning what everyone'..."

Yay! And, my pleasure! :-) It's really fun to see what everyone finds.

Kathryn wrote: "Manybooks wrote: "Kathryn wrote: "Great to see so many wonderful books listed already! Thank you! I'm so eager to dive into books for this month.

For FAIRS, I have some on request at the library b..."

I also do not really like corgis. They look like large dogs with very stumpy and short legs and the ones I have encountered over the years are also often yappy and annoying.

Manybooks wrote: "I also do not really like corgis. They look like large dogs with very stumpy and short legs and the ones I have encountered over the years are also often yappy and annoying ..."

That's because they have Dwarfism. They're soooo cute and funny! I just want to squeeze Oliver from the Chatty Corgi cozy mysteries To Fetch a Felon. I always loved Tasha Tudor. I bet we have a copy of Corgiville. I found boxes of books in my parents' basement but I was unable to lift them off the shelf to look inside at that moment.

QNPoohBear wrote: "That's because they have Dwarfism. They're soooo cute and funny! I just want to squeeze Oliver from the Chatty Corgi cozy mysteries To Fetch a Felon. I always loved Tasha Tudor. I bet we have a copy of Corgiville.."

That cover is so cute! You might enjoy the Dog Diaries book ("Susan") about Queen Elizabeth's corgis. It's a novel, I'll send you the recommendation.

I'm glad to find another Tasha Tudor fan. I've always loved her work. We had several of her books when I was a kid, too.

Summer Holiday - 4th of July

Enzo and the Fourth of July Races by Garth Stein was cute. It follows Denny and Zoë (it never says father/daughter, so it could be any relationship, but with father/daughter vibes) who have a Fourth of July tradition to participate in car races.

This year, everyone is excited that Zoë can finally race on her own in the kids kart races. But then a boy points out that she's a girl, and girls can't be fast. This puts a damper on the entire day leading up to the race. Zoë is put in a tough position as she has to decide what to do, and Denny is distracted by this as well.

Enzo is their dog, the narrator of the story. He doesn't offer much as a dog character, but he is good moral support for Zoë as she struggles with whether to race or not. Personally, I wish we'd seen more of the dog side of him. At the end there is a scene where Enzo claims that his favorite thing about the holiday is watching the fireworks, and this rubs me the wrong way. Dogs - and animals in general - don't mix well with fireworks and loud noises, so I didn't appreciate this scene, but overall Enzo made a lot of sense as a dog narrator.

I like that this one discusses a Fourth of July tradition that doesn't have anything to do with patriotism. I love stories that talk about different traditions on holidays, especially since my family doesn't do a lot of traditional things on some holidays either. Books like this show kids that a holiday can mean and encompass many different things.

This book also features a glossary of racing terms at the end, which is very appreciated even by me as a clueless (about racing) adult. This feature can help kids relate to the story even when they don't know anything about racing.

QNPoohBear wrote: "Manybooks wrote: "I also do not really like corgis. They look like large dogs with very stumpy and short legs and the ones I have encountered over the years are also often yappy and annoying ..."

..."

I got bitten by a corgi and then blamed for it by the nasty owner (a family member) who claimed that because I looked like her corgi’s former owner (who had neglected the dog) I somehow deserved to be bitten. Of course, I should be blaming the owner (which I do) but ever since then I totally do not like corgis.

Tasha Tudor deserves the accolades, imo. She was one of the first author-illustrators I knew by name when I was young, especially for her work for The Secret Garden.

So I found a few in my local library, to be reviewed within the next couple of weeks as I find time/energy.

A book featuring a summer holiday in your country (such as 4th of July, Canada Day, Bastille Day etc.)

Juneteenth and whatever I can discover in
What Do You Celebrate?: Holidays and Festivals Around the World

A book about a county fair or festival

Count Your Chickens
Mr. Ferris and His Wheel
The Fantastic Ferris Wheel: The Story of Inventor George Ferris

A book about a road trip

Road Trip!: A Whiskers Hollow Adventure
Starlight Goes to Town (for a chicken, a trip to town is epic!)

A book celebrating friendship (International Friendship Day is July 30th)

Patchwork Helps a Friend (grabbed from display because it also has bicycle on cover)

A book with a summer fruit on the cover

Stella And The Berry Thief

Cheryl struggles to catch up wrote: "Tasha Tudor deserves the accolades, imo. She was one of the first author-illustrators I knew by name when I was young, especially for her work for The Secret Garden."

I love her cover art for TSG! it's the one that always comes to mind when I think of that book.

Cheryl struggles to catch up wrote: "So I found a few in my local library, to be reviewed within the next couple of weeks as I find time/energy.

A book featuring a summer holiday in your country (such as 4th of July, Canada Day, Bast..."

Thank you for the list. I read Mr. Ferris and His Wheel some years ago and remember enjoying it.

Manybooks wrote: "QNPoohBear wrote: "Manybooks wrote: "I also do not really like corgis. They look like large dogs with very stumpy and short legs and the ones I have encountered over the years are also often yappy ..."

That would be hard to like corgis with such an unfortunate experience involving one :-( I hope you'll meet one someday that is so darn cute and sweet it will make you love it ;-)

Celia wrote: "Summer Holiday - 4th of July

Enzo and the Fourth of July Races by Garth Stein was cute. It follows Denny and ..."

This sounds like so much fun! I imagine my boys will love it and I'm happy to see our library has two copies so I've put a hold on one :-)

One of my favorite 4th of July books is Pie Is for Sharing; it is full of festiveness and has some of the "old-fashioned" tradition of the holiday while also feeling contemporary and inclusive. (It's illustrated by Jason Chin so, naturally, I loved the illustrations.)

This year, we read the new-to-me Happy Birthday America and enjoyed it well enough. It follows a family (grandparents, parents, aunt, and kids and dog) at the hometown 4th of July festivities at a local park. Author Mary Pope Osborn says it was inspired by a 4th of July that she and her husband spent in southeastern Pennsylvania. I'm not sure in what year that took place, but the book is copyright 2003 yet almost has a 90s feel, IMO. The festival is very much traditional "Americana" and a lot of 4th of July celebrations are like that; hotdogs and BBQs, brass band, games and prizes, face painting and balloon animals, fireworks and recitals. This is just depicting one family's hometown celebration and I think it does a nice job of that.
I've seen the book criticized for lacking diversity, but I don't know about that. The central family appears Caucasian but I *think* the crowd reflects some diversity -- it is really hard to tell because the illustrations are kind of indistinct (the the illustrations are really not to my taste) Or perhaps this is just one of the many towns in America that is a predominately Euro-American community, especially considering this was published 20 years ago. And I appreciate that the book is sensitive and inclusive in another way And I appreciate that the book is sensitive and inclusive in another way that is not often seen in picture books; ; the grandfather is in a wheelchair and not really verbally interactive with the family (the only words he speaks that day are during the fireworks when he comments how pretty they are) yet he is seen throughout as an integral part of the family, as well as enjoying the celebrations in his own way. This really touched me given my own family circumstances.

Festivals

What Do You Celebrate?: Holidays and Festivals Around the World

Although What Do You Celebrate? Holidays and Festivals Around the World is of course limited by its picture book format from being in any manner all encompassing, personally, I do think that author Whitney Stewart has definitely and appreciatively managed to be quite nicely inclusive and diverse (and truly featuring and showing celebrations and special festivals from all over the world and spanning the entire calendar year). And while some readers might well grumble a bit that in What Do You Celebrate? Holidays and Festivals Around the World Christmas has NOT been included, I for one actually welcome this omission and even consider it positive, as in my humble opinion, there are already more than enough Christmas themed picture books flooding the market, and frankly, portraying some of the not so universally known holiday celebrations such as Bhutan’s Dangpai Losar or Germany’s Lantern Festival is to and for me a lot more interesting and novel than yet another blurb about how Christmas is celebrated around the world (although that yes and of course, more universally well known celebrations are also featured and described in What Do You Celebrate? Holidays and Festivals Around the World, as for example the inclusion of the Japanese Cherry Blossom Festival and India’s Holi celebrations shows).

Accompanied by Christiane Engel’s bright and colourful illustrations, which while I do tend to find these a bit too gaudy and garish for my own personal tastes, yes Engel’s pictures do indeed provide a visually engaging mirror to and for Whitney Stewart’s text, I most certainly have very much enjoyed my perusal of What Do You Celebrate? Holidays and Festivals Around the World, finding the presented information both enlightening and engagingly penned (as well as appreciating the fourteen included projects as a fun added bonus). And the only reason why I am ranking What Do You Celebrate? Holidays and Festivals Around the World with three and not with four stars is that for one, an included bibliography with suggested titles for further reading would in my opinion greatly increase the teaching and learning value of this book and that for two, perhaps the author should also be adding lists of countries that have similar celebrations within either the text proper of What Do You Celebrate? Holidays and Festivals Around the World or as a supplemental at the back of the book (since for example, Halloween is not just an Irish celebration and that there are very many countries which have carnival holidays in the springtime, that carnival is not just a Brazilian festival).

Friendship

From the moment I picked it up, I fell in love with The Friendly Four by Eloise Greenfield and illustrated by Jan Spivey Gilchrist.

The Friendly Four is a story in verse with multiple voices. In the beginning, there's just Drummond "Drum" Anthony Liggins. Drum's summer starts off as a major bore. All of his friends are out of town, and he's stuck in a loop of "after the baby..., we can go out and play" from the adults in his life.

I count my footsteps
from the porch to the gate,
and I wait.
Wait for fun to find me
in my big back yard.

Every kid has definitely been there. But then, new neighbors move in, and they have a girl who's just his age! Drum and Dorene are fast friends. I've always marveled at the way kids from about four or five to nine or ten can just meet any random kid around that age and become immediate best friends, even when it's only for a few hours (although the friendships in this book last much longer).

Soon, Drum and Dorene are joined by Louis, a new foster or adopted son of a neighbor, and then by Rae, Dorene's cousin whose mother is in the hospital. I love the inclusion of Louis and especially Rae's stories, because it shows how multifaceted kids' lives are, and how different families can be. Rae is upset about being away from her mother at first, but she soon warms up to Dorene and her friends, and they declare themselves the Friendly Four.

After this, the next few poems are filled with back and forth of imaginative play. They tell tall tales and create the town of Goodsummer out of cardboard and paint. The word "pretend" is never used, and instead, the Friendly Four are at the bank, at school, and at the office in Goodsummer (to name a few poem titles), and each poem becomes a script. This text feature would be a great way for kids to practice group or partner reading. These poems are supported by beautiful illustrations featuring pets, costumes, and all manners of toys.

I have not found a lot of books that feature and appreciate imaginative play and its role in the lives of young kids. Every day, I see the kindergarteners and first graders I work with navigating the roles of family life, cooking, building, making music, and all other manners of mimicking adult life through their play. It's so interesting to see how they work out arguments and create their own world on the playground, and I am so happy to see a book that replicates what imaginative play really means for young kids.

Something I love to see in the books I read personally (as opposed to picture books) is great characters and character development, and this is one of the first picture books I've read where I can definitely see that across multiple characters. I especially like Rae's changes and the way she is able to think about family before and after her summer with Drum, Dorene, and Louis.

In terms of representation, this book comes at it from a few different angles. All the characters are black and living in a (seemingly) predominantly black neighborhood, but it doesn't have a lot to do with race, other than the illustrations and the own voices black author and illustrator. They're just kids being kids, and I love it. It's a key example of the incidental representation I love to see. On the other hand, as I mentioned earlier, they do have diverse family structures that are somewhat incidental to the plot, but important to their identities nonetheless. I think this book offers a lot of areas that many different kids from around the ages of 4-9 can connect with and see in themselves, as well as appreciate in the story and in the world in general.

In case you can't tell, I really love this one, and am definitely looking to add this one to my collection in the near future.

SUMMER FRUIT ON THE COVER: Blueberry Cake Cute. Colorful and fun with a good message for little ones about actions and consequences. Though I would rather just reread Blueberries for Sal ;-) (I smiled at the nod to Sal and her Mother in one of the final illustrations.)

Celia wrote: "Friendship

From the moment I picked it up, I fell in love with The Friendly Four by Eloise Greenfield and illustrated by [author:Ja..."

That sounds really special!

Manybooks wrote: "Festivals

What Do You Celebrate?: Holidays and Festivals Around the World

Although What Do You Celebrate? Holidays and Festivals Around the World is of course limited by its pictu..."

This sounds worth reading, though I don't love the cover art. It's at my library and I'm curious to see which summer holidays are featured. Thanks!

Summer fruit - Peach Heaven by Yangsook Choi

In 1976, it rained peaches.

Yeah, you read that right. In Puchon (aka Bucheon), Korea, a central location for peaches, the rains were so heavy that it rained peaches all over the city. Yangsook Choi tells readers all about witnessing this phenomenon and how everyone came to collect the juicy fruits that were normally too expensive to buy in bulk. But somehow after being flung from the trees and raining like hailstones, the peaches were perfectly fine.

Except... it might not be true. All references I can find to this event on the first three pages of Google searches refer to either the book or the author. You'd think that there would be other accounts if this actually happened, since it seems like it's a significant historical event that a lot of people would remember, and maybe there would be at least one account of this besides Choi's story. However, in multiple locations, Yangsook Choi insists that it happened. To add to the confusion, Yangsook is the name of the story's main character. Cue rant: (view spoiler)[One of my pet peeves is authors who completely lie about their life story and/or other true events (or even a small part of it) for a good story, and they do this in multiple places (ex. every online interview with the author as well as in the author's note). When they keep insisting these happened, it just reads like, "It's true, I was the fly on the wall" type of publicity-grabbing or lying for attention. (hide spoiler)] end rant.

Aside from this, Peach Heaven is a really strong story about a girl with simple dreams (of peaches, hence the title) and what happens when she gets everything she wants. While Yangsook and her family and neighbors enjoy all the peaches they can eat, she worries about the farmers who have lost their crop for the year. The solution she comes up with to help the farmers is fun, though she admits that this part is fictional (and frankly, would also be impractical). It also features a family structure where the parents are not at the forefront, though it is ambiguous as to whether they are there or not. I love seeing this as well.

I am kind of conflicted about this book. If I hadn't done as much research as I had or looked into the story behind the book as much, and if I hadn't cared as much, I would have liked this one a lot more. It is an interesting story that looks at a place most people haven't heard of, but I fear that (if it actually didn't happen) it could also hinder kids' appreciation of the world as it is if they start to see Korea (or any other place) as a magic, peach raining, fantasy land. Again, if the author had used a different name for the character and/or maintained that the whole story was fiction, I would have a less hard time with this book, but as is I can't appreciate it as much as I want to.

I would love to hear others' thoughts on an author lying about their own experience to embellish their book.

Celia, I too get upset when an author says something is true, or happened to them, or whatever, and it turns out to be a lie. I would have gotten even more upset when I was a child... pre-Internet I was lucky that we had a set of encyclopedias and I would always look up questionable historic events like the rain of peaches.

It's akin to people claiming insider understandings or tribal affiliations. Anthropologists, missionaries, and people who were told that their grandma was a Cherokee princess or a that the Bantu people adopted them should not be profiting on the stories that belong to the actual Native people.

I hope that One Child, One Seed: A South African Counting Book is successful with your student and that you are able to come back here with a positive review.

One more book for my list, just to make fans aware, there does exist Pete the Cat’s Family Road Trip.

Cheryl struggles to catch up wrote: "One more book for my list, just to make fans aware, there does exist Pete the Cat’s Family Road Trip."

Fun, thank you!

Celia wrote: "I would love to hear others' thoughts on an author lying about their own experience to embellish their book"

Yes, I find this upsetting, too. I don't have a problem with embellishing a story, but then say that it is simply "inspired by" and don't pretend that it is the complete truth. As you say, what is the point of lying except for publicity? It's bad enough if it's a family story but I don't like that this author is being deceiving about an entire community. It's a shame as it sounds like the story could have been really cute and enjoyable if it had been billed as a "tall tale" loosely based on reality but not told as fact.

Kathryn wrote: "Celia wrote: "I would love to hear others' thoughts on an author lying about their own experience to embellish their book"

Yes, I find this upsetting, too. I don't have a problem with embellishing..."

It is surprising how much of this happens and in such cases, I would definitely need an author's note and preferably as an introduction.

COUNTY FAIR
Minerva Louise at the Fair We love Minerva Louise! She is such a funny, lovable chicken and it's just so adorable and entertaining the way her worldview of the farmyard translates to every other experience she has. (Come to think of it, maybe there's a deeper lesson here -- remember that what you "see" is so often influenced by what you've seen!) But, really, it's just good fun and kids love being "in the know" when Minerva Louise makes her little mistakes. Here, for example, thinking that crookneck squash on display for judging are sleeping chickens, that the carousel is a fancy horse barn, etc. I do wonder why she isn't more disturbed thinking that fireworks are stars falling from the sky (!?) and this isn't my favorite of the series, but it's still very cute with a fun county fair ambiance and I love how she is clearly the blue ribbon girl with her own farmers who adore her so much.

County Fair: Adapted from the Little House Books by Laura Ingalls Wilder So, I really haven't wanted to read these My First Little House books because I'm rather against adaptations and just feel like, why not wait until the kids are ready for the original? I don't want someone else deciding what is important and watering it down. That said, I am currently looking for picture books about county fairs and how could I pass this up? The county fair chapter is one of my favorites in Farmer Boy and we've already read the novel as a family read-aloud so I figured there couldn't be any harm. Well, I'll be honest--I was charmed! The illustrations are very much in Garth Williams' style (apparently done with his permission) and the story, while yes very much lacking compared to the actual chapter in the book, along with the illustrations, manages to capture the festive atmosphere of the county fair and Almanzo's feelings as he experiences it, most notably, his love of horses, his enthusiasm for the food, and his anxiety and elation about the pumpkin competition.