Children's Books discussion
The Picture-Book Club
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April Holidays (Passover, Easter, Eid)
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April Fools Day (April 1)
Tax Day (April 18)
National Children's Book Day (US - April 2) or World Book Day (April 23)
Poem in Your Pocket Day (April 29)
I think what I will do is leave the major holidays (Passover, Easter, Eid) as ones that, I hope, all members can cover but then if individual members want to include books on other holidays/special days occurring in the given month, they are welcome to do so. Perhaps one person would want to celebrate National Burrito Day while another National Siamese Cat Day this month. There are SO many to choose from and I don't want to be the one deciding which of the non-major holidays is more worthy of inclusion here. Each member could choose a holiday or two from the list and that way we could get an interesting variety over and above the three major holidays listed above.
Here is a list of the April Holidays -- have fun! :-)
https://nationaltoday.com/april-holid...
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My favorite April holiday is... birthday! Ha ha! (My mom and I both have April birthdays. Between two birthdays and often Easter, April is the best month for this sweets lover). I still haven't been to the library that has the Ramandan books checked in but I found one about Eid.
Amira's Picture Day
It's Eid and Amira has to celebrate her favorite holiday at the masjid but it's school picture day. She already picked out a pink striped dress and was looking forward to her class photo. How will her classmates remember her if she isn't in the picture?
This story makes Eid sound way more fun than school picture day! I'd happily miss school picture day for a goody bag and party. Luckily, Amira comes up with a solution for celebrating Eid and appearing in the school photos. Her classmates sure will remember her now.
Backmatter has an author's note, more about Eid and a helpful glossary.
The illustrations are OK. This modern digital business is just not my thing and Amira is cuteish she's not cute cute. I did love the illustrations of the henna designs on her hands though- a dolphin and a mermaid! My nieces would have been all over that when they were younger!
Author and illustrator are both immigrants originally from Muslim majority countries.
Easter
Last One in Is a Rotten Egg! by Diane deGroat (Gilbert series)I enjoyed this one a lot more than the Thanksgiving Gilbert one.
Gilbert and his sister Lola are excited that their cousin Wally is coming for Easter. But when he arrives, Gilbert and Lola are annoyed at how competitive Wally is. When they go to the town's egg hunt, Wally, who originally says egg hunts are for babies, runs ahead to find all the eggs.
Wally is seen as a bully in this one, and Gilbert as the upstanding and more responsible one. I like this in contrast to some of the other books (or at least what I've come to expect from the titles and synopsis on most of them) because it shows a main character as a good person. I especially like the scenes where Gilbert is being a good big brother to Lola. I love seeing realistic and good sibling relationships in children's literature (I find a lot of them are pretty cringe, so seeing the well portrayed ones always makes me happy). I guess if readers are following the Gilbert books chronologically through his year, as the books are set up to do, you might see Gilbert learning from his actions and becoming a better person - er, opossum - as the year progresses and he learns from his mistakes. I certainly like his character more in this one than in the Thanksgiving one.
One thing I liked about this one is that Easter itself is never actually mentioned. While the egg hunt and the images definitely depict this aspect of the holiday, Last One in Is a Rotten Egg! would definitely make more sense in a secular or multicultural classroom than some of the other children's books available for Easter. Not everyone celebrates Easter, but anyone can participate in an egg hunt.
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How fun! Happy Birthday :-)
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Yes, yes, yes, I know that Passover is a Jewish holiday with many facets to it and that this might therefore make it a bit difficult and potentially problematic to explain Passover (in detail) to young children (and due to this, I was of course also not expecting a thorough and all encompassing textual analysis and examination in Celebrate Passover). But honestly and sadly, unfortunately, author Amy Hayes' presented text for Celebrate Passover, it is so ridiculously simplistic in both tone and contents that both my adult self and also my inner child are actually left feeling majorly textually cheated and hugely annoyed.
For with Celebrate Passover, Hayes really does not seem to take a lot of time and a lot of care presenting Passover as an important and significant Jewish holiday, since she is (at least in my humble opinion) simply very cursively throwing a few words and sentences regarding the latter, regarding Passover, onto the page but without much information, providing a basic and also a factual introduction to Passover to be sure, but not at all even remotely describing in even rudimentarily sufficient detail the Old Testament story of Moses, the deliverance of the Jewish people from Egyptian slavery and the importance of the Seder meal (the food symbols of the Seder, and what each of them means and signifies, what is allowed and what is not allowed to be eaten during Passover and why no products containing yeast are meant to be consumed), leaving with Celebrate Passover a rather ridiculously and strangely overly simplified featured narrative that even for the intended audience, that even for young children would likely and probably be pretty much lacking in the bare textual necessities (and would definitely be leaving my own childhood self disappointed and desperately wanting and also requiring more, more, more). But indeed, but furthermore, that very same childhood self is also with Celebrate Passover kind of feeling rather insulted by Amy Hayes basically assuming that I somehow do not need and want to know more than the absolutely bare minimum regarding Passover, and that my adult self also wonders a trifle if the simplistic tone and feel of Celebrate Passover and the lack of provided text information could also perhaps feel rather insulting to Jewish individuals (who might well want to see their holidays and in particular an important celebration and commemoration like Passover be textually not appearing like some kind of an afterthought but be depicted and described with as much detail as is usually done even for simple picture book introductions for Christian holidays like Christmas and Easter).
Thus for me, Celebrate Passover is not really to be recommended, that Amy Hayes' writing only rates with one star and that the only reason why Celebrate Passover is in fact two stars is that the accompanying photographs are pretty nice and in fact actually do provide considerably more visual information on Passover than Hayes does textually.
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Catherine's Pascha: A Celebration of Easter in the Orthodox Church
Please note that while the author is a GR friend, I was not asked to provide a review for Catherine's Pascha (in fact, I had already downloaded a Kindle version before Charlotte Riggle accepted my friendship request, and I then proceeded to also purchase a print copy, as the Kindle version was just a bit too hard on my aging eyes).
Charlotte Riggle's Catherine's Pascha is a glowing, evocative, and yes, in all ways simply wonderful, informative basic introduction to Orthodox Easter (Pascha) celebrations (both historical and contemporary in scope, the narrative clearly presents and demonstrates just how truly universal Eastern Orthodoxy is, reaching from Alaska to the Middle East and Northern Africa, from Asia to North America). Encased in an engaging framework of how Catherine and her family celebrate Pascha (and what constitutes Orthodox Easter/Pascha celebrations, not just the church service itself, but also the long fasting period that happens beforehand and the joyful post church feasting), I so much enjoy the smooth and flowing combination of fact and fiction (and very much appreciate the informative and detailed author's note with the supplemental links to even more information, recipes and such, although as a hopeless academic, I would have also liked a detailed bibliographical list of recommendations for further reading, but guess what, I always want and tend to ask for that). And just a small nugget of additional knowledge (and I hope you do not mind this, Charlotte), that while the English word Easter is definitely based on Eostre and Eosturmonath (Eostre was likely an ancient Germanic goddess of spring), the German word for Easter, Ostern, is actually also based on the same, which is really rather interesting and intriguing, considering that in most other Germanic languages, the word for Easter is based on Pesach, Pascha, Paques and such, is based on, is taken from the Hebrew (or perhaps actually even the Aramaic).
Now while personally, I happen to especially adore and love the addition of parts of the Orthodox liturgy (surrounding the main illustrations of Catherine's Pascha), I also do realise that this might be problematic and uncomfortable for and perhaps even considered as inappropriate by those vehemently anti-religious or so set in their own religious ways as to not be willing or able to consider any deviance from their own beliefs and dogma as acceptable (although truly, the liturgy parts are very unobtrusive and at least for me, provide a beautiful and enchanting spiritually enlightening, uplifting accompaniment to both text and images). And finally, with regard to R.J. Hughes' illustrations, while colour wise, they are actually a bit too pink and purple hued to be considered personal aesthetic favourites, they do provide a simply marvellous (and light infused) mirror to and for Charlotte Riggle's narrative, to and for the story of Catherine's and her family's Pascha, both complementing the same, as well as vividly expanding upon the written words by having as their background almost twenty Orthodox churches and cathedrals from all over the world (however, I did and do have to wonder and with expectant sadness whether the Mariamite Cathedral of Damascus, Syria still exists, whether it has not been destroyed by bombs and the cultural hatred of ISIS extremism, but thankfully, according to information provided to me by the author, at present, the Mariamite Cathedral has not been damaged or destroyed).
Henri, Egg Artiste
Honestly, why would anyone consider Marcus Pfister's picture book Henri, Egg Artiste as being sexist or even misogynistic in scope simply because Henri the Egg Artiste is male and Henrietta his assistant is female (and seemingly also his wife)?
Because come on, if you bother to actually read Marcus Pfister's presented text as it appears in Henri, Egg Artiste you should know that Henri the Easter Egg painting rabbit relies on his Henrietta not just for bringing him the eggs (not just for hauling in the eggs) that need to be painted, but that Henrietta also acts as Henri's, as her artist husband's muse and that without Henrietta's constant and supportive encouragement, Henri would likely just be quitting and throwing in the proverbial towel so to speak. For yes, even though in Henri, Egg Artiste, Henri finally gets out of his artistic slump by personally deciding to spice up his egg painting business by painting, by creating not just colourful Easter Eggs but actually true works of art, true pieces of delightful imagination to lastingly enchant everyone, it is actually and in my humble opinion Henrietta who keeps pushing for this and who finally convinces Henri that as a famous Easter Egg artist, he has a job to to and that in particular the children rely and depend on him, on Henri creating colourful and wonderful Easter Eggs for them (and oh my gosh, Marcus Pfister having Henri paint Picasso eggs, Leonardo Da Vinci eggs, Edvard Munch eggs etc., these illustrations are not only a delightfully wonderful aesthetic pleasure in and of themselves, they also visually show that Henri has overcome his personal negativity and his rather selfish attitudes and that his wife, that Henrietta has lastingly shown to Henri that he has an artistic responsibility, and that it is equally up to him to take this responsibility and make it into something both communally wonderful and also personally satisfying and fulfilling).
And thus for me (for both my adult self and my inner child), textually and illustratively speaking, Marcus Pfister's Henri, Egg Artiste is absolutely delightful (with me in particular enjoying the famous artist inspired Easter Eggs and indeed that Henri the Egg Artiste also has a framed picture of Pfister's famous Rainbow Fish adorning his walls). Highly recommended for a nice little Easter story, but yes, I also think that Henri, Egg Artiste would work well to encourage budding child artists who might be facing a bit of doubt and discouragement to have more personal confidence and to consider their artistic talents as something inherently special and something to be shared.
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So yes, there is a bit of datedness to be occasionally textually encountered within the pages of Lilies, Rabbits and Painted Eggs: The Story of the Easter Symbols (which naturally also makes a bit of sense considering the publication date of 1970). But from my own online research regarding Easter and the myriad of diverse traditions surrounding it, indeed and happily, most of the information and details on global Easter symbols, customs (and of course also on the religious connotations and backgrounds of Easter) that are featured in Lilies, Rabbits and Painted Eggs: The Story of the Easter Symbols these are all in my humble opinion both decently and accurately researched by author Edna Barth and also engagingly enough presented and penned by her, a bit too textually dense and wordy perhaps for younger children, but most definitely, Lillies, Rabbits and Painted Eggs: The Story of the Easter Symbols shows itself as a wonderful and detailed (but equally never overly and exaggeratedly so) general introduction to Easter for readers from about the age eight or nine onwards, both as the main and most important holiday (holy day) of Christianity and with Lilies, Rabbits and Painted Eggs: The Story of the Easter Symbols also and according to the book title featuring the many symbols associated with Easter (and not only the more well-known and famous ones such as Easter Eggs, and the Easter Bunny, but also touching on for example the different colours associated with Easter, Easter Fire traditions around the world and indeed much much more).
Combined with the fact that I also really do appreciate the inclusion of a detailed and pretty expansive for a short illustrated non fiction tome bibliography (with my only caveat being that due to the 1970 publication of date for Lilies, Rabbits and Painted Eggs: The Story of the Easter Symbols, there will naturally and of course be no post 1970 books listed), for me, I have been very much and pleasantly surprised with and by Edna Barth's featured text for Lilies, Rabbits and Painted Eggs: The Story of the Easter Symbols. And the only reason why my final rating for Lilies, Rabbits and Painted Eggs: The Story of the Easter Symbols is not yet quite five stars is that while I do consider Ursula Arndt's accompanying artwork a decent and aesthetically pleasant decorative trim, I also do not really think that any of the illustrations are in fact and actually essential for understanding Edna Barth's printed words. And thus, while Arndt's pictures for Lilies, Rabbits and Painted Eggs: The Story of the Easter Symbols are generally nicely enough rendered, they also are in my opinion rather forgettable, and I equally and definitely do believe that Barth's presented text, that Lilies, Rabbits and Painted Eggs: The Story of the Easter Symbols does not really need illustrations and would not in fact miss Ursula Arndt's artwork if it were removed.
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I am not and never have been all that religious and have also not had all that much religion (and with religion I mean Christianity) taught to me either at home or at school. But I do believe in God, and for me, any published piece of writing specifically about Jesus Christ which is being geared towards children (either as a picture book or as something more substantial) needs to be respectfully penned and would if I had my own choice in the matter also use as many direct quotes from the Bible as possible (and preferably from the King James version, which definitely tends to be my personal favourite). And sorry, but the presented text for The First Easter Ever (which might have been both written and also illustrated by Dennis Jones, although I am by no means certain of this), albeit that it does textually present a biblically authentic enough seeming rendition of Jesus Christ's life until his resurrection from death during the as the book title points out "first Easter ever" the narrational tone of voice for The First Easter Ever feels almost a bit sneeringly denigrating and sometimes with a suppressed and totally uncalled for and inappropriate sense of humour (well, at least that has been my own personal feeling regarding the textual representation of Jesus Christ's life as it is shown in The First Easter Ever and it most definitely does rather rub me both emotionally and spiritually the wrong proverbial way, not massively, not painfully, but enough so to be noticeable).
However, the main reason why my rating for The First Easter Ever is only two stars, this is actually not so very much due to the narrative, is not really hugely because of the presented printed words. For although I do find that the featured penned account of Jesus Christ in The First Easter Ever is definitely a bit too “modern” for me personally and equally kind of feels more than a trifle trivialising at times, the text for The First Easter Ever does generally still present the tale of Jesus Christ like it is for the most part shown in the three synoptic gospels of the New Testament of the Bible (in the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke). And well and honestly, it is actually and in fact the artwork, it is Dennis Jones’ illustrations for The First Easter Ever that I totally visually despise, that I find both majorly aesthetically unpleasant and also visually rather an insult towards not only Jesus Christ but in fact towards everyone who is part of the Easter story. Because those pictures for The First Easter Ever, not only is Dennis Jones’ utilised colour scheme horribly gaudy and exaggeratedly bright, but come on, ALL of the human figures, and yes, even Jesus Christ himself, they appear as deliberately caricature like, and I for one do find the entire concept of Jesus Christ being drawn, being illustrated by Dennis Jones in a decidedly visually parodistic manner not only ridiculous but also aesthetically inappropriate and unsuitable.
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So yes, Paul Galdone's illustrations for The Adventures of Egbert the Easter Egg are generally speaking visually appealing enough and do present a very nice old-fashioned aesthetic feel to them. In other words, one can (in my humble opinion) truly and obviously tell and figure out almost immediately that The Adventures of Egbert the Easter Egg hails from the middle of the 20th century, from 1965 to be exact, since in particular the rather gender specific clothing of ALL of the girls being depicted as clad in dresses and skirts certainly tells me, definitely tells us as readers and/or or listeners that The Adventures of Egbert the Easter Egg is a tale of bygone times, a story of when girls, when women generally were often not even allowed to wear jeans 0r any other types of slacks. But you know, considering that The Adventures of Egbert the Easter Egg is from the 1960s, the dress code presented by Paul Galdone, well, I actually do not at all consider this as problematic and dated, but rather as an authentic visual representation of the times and of the general dress code for girls and women then (and with my only personal complaint regarding Galdone's artwork for The Adventures of Egbert the Easter Egg being that I kind of think that Egbert's smiling cartoon like face feels visually rather majorly creepy to and for me and would really have negatively affected me as a young child, as I actually had a stuffed Easter Egg toy given to me one Easter Sunday that had this kind of a smile and which no one believed was causing me nightmares).
And with the creepiness (as perceived by me personally) of Egbert being an Easter Egg with a broadly smiling face in mind, sorry, but textually, ALL of Egbert's exploits, his entire journey (and that he is alive, moving and constantly smiling), I just do not AT ALL enjoy Richard Armour's presented text, I really just do not like his printed words all that much (except perhaps the detailed descriptions of Easter Egg decorating), Because yes, both my adult self and specifically my inner child just find the whole idea of an Easter Egg being alive and going on some kind of journey strange, creepy and overly fantastical (and yes also a bit exaggeratedly weird since the basic set-up and premise for Richard Armour's story for The Adventures of Egbert the Easter Egg feelsfor the most part realistic and with mostly realistic pictures and that Egbert with his horrid smile basically rolling away and going on an adventure just rubs me on a personal and emotional level rather massively the wrong proverbial way).
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The most interesting way I learned about Passover was from the Rugrats. Let My Babies Go: A Passover StorySo happy they have it in book form!
(I'm Angelica LOL!)
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Well, perhaps rating Deborah Heiligman's Celebrate Passover: with Matzah, Maror, and Memories with five stars is a bit overly inflated and enthusiastic, but since I do find that Celebrate Passover: with Matzah, Maror, and Memories is in my opinion a pretty much perfect introduction to the Jewish holiday of Passover for children (from about the age of six onwards), in my opinion, I stand by my five stars. Because while Heiligman's presented text is simply rendered, Celebrate Passover: with Matzah, Maror, and Memories is also more than sufficiently informative theme and contents wise, with the author telling her young readers/listeners basically everything one needs to know to have a nicely decent general understanding of Passover in a clearly understood, engagingly related and detailed but without ever being overwhelming format (showing the story of Moses leading the Jews out of Slavery in Egypt, that Passover commemorates this event, how Passover is observed, that during Passover and also during the Seder meal, no leavened products must be consumed and what the special Seder foods signify and mean, not to mention that Deborah Heiligman also points out in Celebrate Passover: with Matzah, Maror, and Memories that Passover is also one of the main charity providing events for Jews, with food drives and the like).
Educational, engaging and with Deborah Heiligman also providing a delicious looking matzah-based recipe for Passover toffee (which is actually a family recipe and her son's favourite), everything I have textually encountered in Celebrate Passover: with Matzah, Maror, and Memories I have both appreciated and also enjoyed, with the accompanying photographs being nicely diverse as well, from all over the world and mirroring but thankfully not rising above Heiligman's words. But I guess that for me personally, what is the absolute icing on the cake so to speak regarding Celebrate Passover: with Matzah, Maror, and Memories are the bibliographies (featuring both book titles and websites), glossary, the map (showing where pictures are taken and showing that Judaism is a global religion) and last but not least Rabbi Shira Stern's short but nicely academic (and clearly meant for adult readers) afterword.
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basically assuming that I somehow do not need and want to know more than the absolutely bare minimum .."
How frustrating! I usually tend to avoid this sort of book for that very reason. I feel like most are oh-so-very-minimum and that more information could be gleaned from a quick internet search. I check them out every so often so my kids can be familiar with non-fiction books such as one might need for a research paper but personally I vastly prefer the picture books that present the information with a story and characters, or at least a style that makes me feel involved and like I have grasped some of the essence of the subject rather than simply a collection of facts.
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Well, perhaps rating Deborah Heiligman's Celebrate Passover: with Matzah, Maror, and Memories with five stars is a bit overly in..."
I will try to find this one!
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basically assuming that I somehow do not need and want to know more than the absolutely bare minimum .."
How frustrating! I u..."
This is basically useless and also much too simple for your boys.
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Well, perhaps rating Deborah Heiligman's Celebrate Passover: with Matzah, Maror, and Memories with five stars ..."
I tend to enjoy Deborah Heiligman's picture books about holidays.
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That does sound weird, and for me also rather trivialising the Easter story.
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That's what I thought, too, but the reviews are overwhelmingly favorable so maybe I'm missing something...
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The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes (childhood favorite!)
A Tale for Easter (I loved Tasha Tudor's books even as a girl!)
Some I enjoyed as a grown-up
The Egg Tree
Chicken Sunday
Rechenka's Eggs
Favorite reads with my kids when we read a lot of picture books for holidays:
Bunny's Easter Egg (love Anne Mortimer's illustrations)
Easter Parade (the classic song paired with Lisa McCue's darling illustrations)
Chester's Colorful Easter Eggs
The Best Easter Egg Hunt Ever
The Easter Egg
The Easter Surprise (my youngest's favorite two years ago)
These two made even my oldest chuckle:
Minerva Louise and the Colorful Eggs
Here Comes the Easter Cat
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That's what I thought, too, but the reviews are overwhelmingly favorable so maybe I'm missing someth..."
Or maybe not! I have had negative attitudes towards certain books while others have loved them.
The best new Easter book I've come across is The Story of the Easter Bunny
I haven't gotten my hands on a copy yet but my brother's family owns it. My niece, now 14, recommended it. She said it's one of her favorites. She thought it was old because it does have that vintage feel. I'm going to go after it tomorrow and hope it's still in the library. There's two copies and one is checked out.
The book tells the story about the little rabbit who watched the elderly couple prepare colored eggs and bags of treats for children until one morning they didn't get out of bed (My niece says "they went away" so I assume she infers they died). The bunny takes over making and delivering baskets to children.
QNPoohBear wrote: "The best new Easter book I've come across is The Story of the Easter BunnyI haven't gotten my hands on a copy yet but my brother's fa..."
I just read this one, it's pretty good. I'll review it in depth soon but (view spoiler).
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I just read this one, it's pretty good. I'll review it in depth soon but (view spoiler)."
Whew, that's a relief! This one just came in for me at the library -- I'm planning to make a trip today to pick it up, along with a few other Easter, Eid and Passover titles that have come in.
Finally got my hands on The Story of the Easter Bunny
This is lovely, really, really sweet. My niece misremembered the story. (view spoiler)
I did a lot of good reading this week so far. I'll be back with my Passover and Easter book reviews.
Chag Sameach! It's past sunset and Passover has begun. To prepare I readThe Story of Passover
This is an informative non-fiction book for elementary readers and their families. The story of Passover is a little violent, obviously, so if you're reading with a sensitive reader who is not Jewish, take caution. (I notice Jews have no problems sharing stories about violence with their kids). It tells the Biblical story framed as a narrative about a modern family celebrating the holiday. I knew the story of Moses and the Jews, (Let My Babies Go: A Passover Story). This book has a lot more to the story than I've heard before. I learned the story wasn't written down by the Egyptians or early Hebrews but scholars who have studied the story have pinpointed a Pharaonic era.
After the Biblical story is told, this book goes on to share how modern Jewish families celebrate Passover. Again I learned the meaning behind traditions I've heard about.
Backmatter includes things to make for Passover.
The illustrations caught my eye because they're colorful and also realistic without being obsessively accurate.
For fun, I read The Matzo Ball Boy
a Jewish take on the old gingerbread man tale. It's set in a European village where Yiddish is spoken. I found this cute but also problematic because so many of those words are stereotypical Yiddish words out of a stereotypical New Yorker's vocabulary. The only one I haven't heard is tailor, for obvious reasons. The Yiddish words didn't NEED to be there but added an extra element to the story. The ending is similar but slightly different, poking fun at the gingerbread man's fate. Matzoh Ball Man is a little smarter than gingy but his fate is the same. I could see it coming but a child might be a little shocked.
The illustrations are funny but not my favorite.
Includes author's note and glossary.
I also chose one interfaith story from Hoopla. 
Easter Eggs and Matzo BallsIt's Easter and Michael is eager to get something good from the Easter Bunny but his new stepsister, Anna, celebrates Passover and he wants her to have something special too. He asks the Easter Bunny to help. When Anna's special Passover items go missing, it seems like the holiday might be ruined, but Michael is determined to make Anna happy.
The relationship between these new family members is very sweet. Michael obviously loves Anna and wants her to have a happy holiday. I found it weird that the boy can text with the Easter Bunny. Sign of the times?
Young readers will enjoy repeating the Easter Bunny's lines "Pat pat, squish squish" every time he tries to fit something inside the golden egg.
The illustrations are digitally drawn but cute. They caught my eye on the cover because they're not TOO cutesy. It's a good one to read with young children, especially those in interfaith families. I will recommend it to my cousin for her youngest.
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This picture book by Patricia Polacco is again an absolute gem. Another (autobiographical) story, Chicken Sunday is a glowing and wonderful tale of friendship, understanding, sensitivity, forgiveness, creative craftmanship (and so much more). It is a story to make you smile, to make you cry and to make you feel hungry (and not necessarily for Miss Eula's chicken suppers, but more for the friendship, the love and the easy acceptance of different cultures and religions presented).
I really appreciate how the friendship between the narrator (the author as a child) and Stewart and Winston is shown as something "natural" and beautiful, that it is not made to seem exotic, strange or even all that "remarkable" because it is intercultural and interracial (it is just there, and it is a natural, and beautifully natural thing). I find that sometimes, and perhaps even rather often, books that emphasise the supposed, the so-called exotic and remarkable nature of interracial and intercultural friendships can seem somewhat negative to me personally, because friendship is friendship (or should be), and it really does not matter and should not matter if one's friend is of another culture, religion etc. This is avoided with Chicken Sunday. The friendship between Patricia, Stewart and Winston is just a beautiful friendship, the fact that it is an intercultural and interracial friendship actually makes no difference whatsoever.
This story is, of course, also somewhat of an Easter story, but it is really not primarily a story about Easter, or religion, Chicken Sunday is primarily about friendship (both the friendship between the three children, but also the developing friendship between the children and Mr. Kodinski). And with that salient fact in mind, Chicken Sunday is naturally, also a poignant tale about courage, about being brave and doing the "right thing." The three children did not throw eggs at Mr. Kodinski's shop, but because he thought they did, he now basically believes that they are part of the bigoted bullies who had been hurling eggs (and other forms of abuse) at him. Going back to his store to not only win him over, but to then ask him for a job, took courage (Mr. Kodinski calls it chutzpah). But of course, it is the home-made pysanky eggs that actually win him over, that actually serve as cementing or beginning to cement his friendship with the three children. Mr. Kodsinki is also a born merchant and I really love and appreciate how he (although he does not have the money to hire the narrator and her two friends) finds a way for them to make money. Of course, the best part (for me) still was and is when Mr. Kodinski gives Patricia, Stewart and Winston the special Easter hat for Miss Eula as a present, how the three children are able to keep their money, and also most importantly, how they will now be able to make Miss Eula happy (and thank her for her wonderful and soul-warming chicken suppers), and how Mr. Kodinski is now a friend as well, a good friend who appreciates and likes them. Reading between the lines of Chicken Sunday, you can tell that Miss Eula, while happy about her new Easter hat, is more happy about the thought behind this special gift and the effort the children had to make to obtain it.
The illustrations are again outstanding, and although by themselves, I would not necessarily call them personal favourites, they work wonderfully with the story, the narrative, providing a perfect mirror to and of the text. In fact, the illustrations also go above and beyond the narrative, as two of the illustrations show that Mr. Kodinski is a concentration camp survivor, not only adding to the poignancy of the story itself, but also opening the door for further discussion, especially if reading this book with and to slightly older children. I strongly, no I very strongly recommend Chicken Sunday and I only wish that Patricia Polacco had also included instructions on how to make pysanky eggs in the book, as this could be a perfect class project (and one would not even have to use real eggs, as wooden pysanky eggs would perhaps be an even better project because the "eggs" would last and not spoil).
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Of course and truly, I majorly understand and realise that for very young children (and in particular for those children who enjoy tales of anthropomorphic mice), both Kevin Henkes' text and his supremely cute accompanying illustrations will probably make Owen's Marshmallow Chick a superbly lovely and delightfully simple Easter themed picture book (and that most young readers or listeners will likely also be heartily cheering that Owen refuses to eat his marshmallow chick and that it therefore becomes as much and as cherished a personal toy and plaything as his, as young Owen's yellow security blanket is).
But while as an older adult reader I can definitely, totally and very much completely so appreciate and celebrate that Owen's Marshmallow Chick is likely absolutely perfect for young children from about the age of two to four years of age (with a simple and sweet text, delightfully lush and fun illustrations, and really with Owen's Marshmallow Chick wonderfully showing the total joy and delight of young children finding all kinds of delicious goodies and treats in their Easter baskets), sorry, but my own inner child kind of feels like there is more than a bit textually and thematically missing in and with Owen's Marshmallow Chick. For yes, I am definitely rather disappointed that Kevin Henkes simply has Owen decide to not eat his marshmallow chick and this scenario then being the end of the story, as for me, Owen's Marshmallow Chick would be a lot more interesting if either one of Owen's friends or a sibling had taken and eaten his marshmallow chick or if Owen himself had felt pressure to consume, to finally eat his marshmallow chick (from friends or from family members).
So while I do agree that Owen's Marshmallow Chick is a cute little story, for my own inner child, there is just not enough narrationally, verbally content present with Kevin Henkes' words, and that yes, the almost complete lack of action and of possible conflict, well, I do think this rather makes Owen's Marshmallow Chick a trifle tedious and not all that engaging (and thus only a three star book for me and also recommended with the caveat that Owen's Marshmallow Chick does not really feature all that much of an actual plot, not all that much of a story).
Jodie's Passover Adventure
The story is set during Passover and mentions a few traditions and a Passover picnic but is more about the history and archeology of Jerusalem.
I loved that Jodie, a young girl, has such enthusiasm for archeology. She's not scared like her older brother and is able to explain away anything that might seem scary. Jodie is knowledable too and able to solve the riddle her archeologist dad puts to her.
The illustration are nice but the main focus for me is the story. I really enjoyed this one. It was fun and interesting to learn about the Holy City.
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Of course and truly, I majorly understand and realise that for very young children (and in particular for those children who enjoy tales of anthropomorphic m..."
I thought that one was sweet when I read it years ago. I definitely identified with Owen ;-)
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The Story of Passover
This is an informative non-fiction book for e..."
You've found several that I didn't. Thank you for posting! Our library didn't have a huge number of Passover books, actually. The Story of Passover has four holds so I didn't bother -- it's by prolific author David A. Adler and I'm thinking it must be good since most of the other Passover books are not checked out. I have a few others out from the library now and hope to post back with reviews after the weekend.
Meanwhile, Happy Passover to those celebrating this week! Happy Easter to those celebrating Sunday! I'll be celebrating Easter with family over the weekend and will post back on Monday as, of course, reading Easter picture books will feature in our festivities ;-)
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The library I walk to is in a neighborhood with a large Orthodox community so they have a good number of Jewish holiday books. I also found some good ones on Hoopla. I'm mooching off a friend who gets 12 borrows a month she never uses!
The library I walk to is in a neighborhood with a large Orthodox community so they have a good number of Jewish holiday books. I also found some good ones on Hoopla. I'm mooching off a friend who gets 12 borrows a month she never uses!
Easter Traditions Around the World
A short chapter book or picture book divided into chapters, it's simple and informative enough for young readers' personal curiosity but not educational enough for a school report. I learned a few interesting bits of information but mostly a general overview.
Backmatter includes books and websites to learn more.
The other Easter ones that I have on my radar and will review (probably after today) are:
The Story of the Easter Bunny by Katherine Tegen (I've seen this one here and thought it was pretty good)
The Big Bunny and the Easter Eggs by Steven Kroll (this one was okay, I need to read more in depth)
The Egg Tree by Katherine MilhousAnd a couple I might get to today:
Chicken Sunday by Patricia Polacco (might need to read more closely to do a full review but I can at least say a bit)
An Egg Is Quiet by Dianna Hutts Aston (okay, not specifically an Easter book but one that fits the theme well enough and I think my kids will enjoy it).For Passover I have:
The Little Red Hen and the Passover Matzah by Leslie Kimmelman (a cute retelling of the original Little Red Hen with some Jewish twists and references).
This Is the Matzah by Abby Levine
A First Passover by Leslie Swartz (which, for a "first" book for beginning readers, looks pretty dense)
An Egg Is Quiet by Dianna Hutts Aston and illustrated by Sylvia LongWhile An Egg Is Quiet is not an Easter book per se, I could see the time surrounding Easter as a good time to introduce or feature it in a classroom for preschool through 1st or 2nd grade. Eggs will be prominent in some people's minds during this time, and it might even be possible to find some outside if you know where to look.
An Egg Is Quiet describes eggs with different adjectives, and then provides a few pages with beautifully drawn examples depicting the biodiversity of eggs. Color, shape, texture, camouflage, size, and patterns are explored in this way.
Sylvia Long's illustrations are a large part of what makes An Egg Is Quiet special. They are bright, colorful, and realistically used to depict biodiversity. Each egg is labeled so readers can make connections between eggs of different species.
An Egg Is Quiet is an example of a nonfiction book that breaks traditional nonfiction styles in a way that makes kids want to read. I love the poetic style accompanied with these beautiful and realistic illustrations of eggs found in various places around the world.
I do wish there was more in the way of back matter, especially in terms of some of the research done for this book, or expansion on facts. The back page consists of pictures of many (but not all) of the adult animals mentioned and labeled as eggs in the book. I wish there were a bit more of those connections within the pages as well, instead of just in the back.
The Egg Tree is a family favorite and part of my mom's cultural traditions. She set up a tiny egg tree on the dining room table this year. We used to have big branches and lots of antique eggs. This year my mom put a few of the less fragile old ones on the table and the ones my brother's family has made her over the years on the tree. The Story of the Easter Bunny is not well known but I thought it was very sweet and had a nice, vintage feel.
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An Egg Is Quiet by Dianna Hutts Aston and illustrated by Sylvia LongWhile An Egg Is Quiet is not an Ea..."
We've enjoyed all the books in that series. The Egg book is the one that started us off :-)
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What a lovely tradition!
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A short chapter book or picture book divided into chapters, it's simple and informative en..."
We just read this one, too (with a different cover) and I agree with your review.
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My oldest wasn't interested in Easter picture books this year (sob!) but my youngest liked the following, and so did I. They were new-to-us (published in last few years):
Five Little Easter Bunnies Super cute, British-vibes throughout. I felt transported to a country fair in the Cotswolds (I almost expected a bunny version of Mary Berry to pop out of one of those tents any minute to comment upon those lovely tiered cakes at the bake tent). I wish we'd had this a few years sooner when my youngest was big into his lift-the-flap phase and we could have enjoyed a cozy lap read and re-read and re-read in the days leading up to Easter. Don't read this looking for great literature, I think my opinion is largely rosy-eyed with nostalgia, but it really ticked all the boxes for me.
Pick a Perfect Egg Such a fun surprise! The simple rhyme scheme of the story, while not exactly great poetry, is charming and not forced. There's a certain timelessness to the story of the little girl's egg decorating adventure, from picking an egg from a small family farm, to preparing the dye, dying the eggs, getting ready for a neighborhood Easter celebration (I could imagine myself as the little girl in the '80s, my mom doing this in the '50s, etc.) but it also feels contemporary thanks to the diversity in the neighbors. It has warm, fuzzy vibes and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
PS I thought it was neat that it mentions natural dyes along with to the tablets, powders and colored water for dying eggs.
"Stew some plants
to make a brew:
beets turn eggs
a rosy hue.
Spinach? Green!
Berries? Blue!
Try some herbs
or spices, too."
Orthodox Easter is in 6 days and I read Rechenka's Eggs, a folk tale set in old Poland, then part of the Russian empire. It's a fun tale and a lovely tradition of making Pisanki. The artwork in the story is as charming as the tale and it was quite interesting seeing a very old Moscow!
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If you can find a copy, Catherine's Pascha: A Celebration of Easter in the Orthodox Church is wonderful and the illustrations of Orthodox churches from around the world are brilliant.
Children's Books
Books mentioned in this topic
Leprechaun vs. Easter Bunny (other topics)Hopper's Easter Surprise (other topics)
Beautiful Eggs (other topics)
Easter on the Farm (other topics)
Happy Easter, Curious George (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Jan Pieńkowski (other topics)Mindy Warshaw Skolsky (other topics)
Dianna Hutts Aston (other topics)
Sylvia Long (other topics)
Sylvia Long (other topics)
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If you know of any holidays I have neglected, please share in a comment below. I know there are some other holidays this month that we may not be able to find picture books for, such as Vaisakhi, but I will try! (https://www.cbc.ca/kids/articles/what...)
(Please note that Ramadan continues into April but the official discussion thread for Ramadan books is the March thread though it's understandable there will be some overlap with Eid:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...)
We also have a folder dedicated to Holiday & Seasonal reads so you may wish to cross-reference with relevant threads there:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/group...
Those looking for books about the Environment for Earth Day and Arbor Day can check out these threads:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
I look forward to our discussion of books about Passover, Easter and Eid :-)