Hi there kidlit friends! This is Margaret coming at you from Nashville, TN, and I’m only moderately sleep-deprived today despite a 5:30 am wakeup. Yawn. This is my first ever newsletter, and I’m so excited about jumping on board and nerding out about children’s books!
I thought I’d tell a funny bookish story from my childhood for my first newsletter, which will also connect with my Riot Recommendations below. Like many kids, I LOVED fairytales. I used to have a fairytale picture book set with faux golden locks on the covers as if their contents were somehow illicit and required locking (well, if they’d been the older versions of the tales, they would have been). My absolute favorite of these was “Hansel and Gretel.” One day, I asked my mom if I could stay the night at my friend Stephanie’s house on a school night. She reasonably said no, but instead of taking her no as an answer, I went to school and told my kindergarten teacher, Ms. Guffy, that Mom liked to stick me in the oven every night and I was scared she was going to eat me and could I please stay the night with my friend Stephanie instead? Sheesh, little Margaret! Thankfully Ms. Guffy did not call child services, and, knowing my penchant for tall tales, she called my mom instead. All turned out fine, though I did not spend the night with Stephanie. Probably for the best since Stephanie and I often cut one another’s hair…
Reading Mom Sticker by ShelleyCouvillion
The artist who makes this sticker, Shelley Couvillion (who illustrated the picture book Your Future is Bright), lives near me and I recently purchased this sticker at a local bookstore. It’s on the back of my new phone now! She has a whole bunch of bookish mom stickers to choose from on Etsy. $5
New Releases
Kapaemahu by Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu, Dean Hamer, Joe Wilson, & Daniel Sousa
For Pride Month, I wanted to highlight two queer new releases that I love. On Waikiki Beach, the māhū — third-gender people in Native Hawaiian and Tahitian cultures — left four stones that transfer healing powers, according to Native Hawaiin legend. This picture book tells of that exchange and is the first picture book published in both English and Olelo Niihau, the only form of Hawaiian that has been continuously spoken since before the arrival of foreigners. It’s gorgeously illustrated and based on a short animated film!
Alice Austen Lived Here by Alex Gino
Alex Gino (author of Melissa and George) is back with another delightfully queer middle grade novel. Sam, who is nonbinary, is working on a school project highlighting an important local figure. They’re working on the project with their best friend, TJ, who is also nonbinary. Their teacher will nominate his favorite project to a committee choosing who the next Staten Island statue will commemorate. Sam and TJ decide to write their report on Alice Austen, a Staten Island queer photographer, but can they convince their homophobic teacher to take a queer woman’s history seriously? Sadly we all know the answer to this, but that doesn’t mean Alex and TJ are going to give up on their project.
For a more comprehensive list, check out our New Books newsletter.
Riot Recommendations
If you couldn’t tell from my intro, I am a fairytale fiend, so I thought I’d recommend some of my favorite children’s retellings!
Endlessly Ever After by Laurel Snyder, illustrated by Dan Santat
This wildly inventive picture book allows readers to choose their own paths on a fairytale romp that starts out as “Little Red Riding Hood” but quickly mashes up dozens of other fairytales. This book transcends age. My 4-year-old daughter loves it, but it has enough heft to interest 10-year-olds too. And most impressively, all 92 pages are written in rhyme!
Federico and the Wolf by Rebecca J. Gomez, illustrated by Elisa Chavarri
This rhyming delight intermixed with Spanish retells “Little Red Riding Hood” with some major changes. The main character is a Mexican-American boy, it’s a grandfather instead of a grandmother, and cooking is involved. LRRH is one of my favorite fairytales and I just love this retelling of it.
The Three Ninja Pigs by Corey Rosen Schwartz & Dan Santat IOC
This was my daughter’s favorite book for a long time, and I’m pretty sure I still have it memorized. It’s a retelling of “The Three Little Pigs” with martial arts. It’s an absolute blast to read.
Once Upon a World Collection by Chloe Perkins
This collection of board books was my daughter’s first introduction to fairytales. These are more traditional versions of the tales, though greatly abbreviated, and take place around the world. Both my daughter and I’s favorite is Rapunzel illustrated by Archana Sreenivasan, which takes place in India.
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Life has been stressful lately so I thought I’d end on a laugh. I was cleaning out my dresser last week when I found some unused (I hope) bra pads. I put them on the bed, continued cleaning, the next thing I know my daughter Marian had taken the bra pads and turned them into an obstacle course. Then she pulled out her “handy tape” and turned the bra pads into a train. Reusing win? These kids are so inventive!
If you’d like to read more of my kidlit reviews, I’m on Instagram @BabyLibrarians, Twitter @AReaderlyMom, and blog irregularly at Baby Librarians. You can also read my Book Riot posts. Thank you for following along and welcoming me to this newsletter!
Until next Tuesday!
Margaret Kingsbury