Happy Tuesday, kid lit friends! I don’t know about you, but I’ve had a lot of big feelings since the Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade. A lot of angry feelings, scared feelings, helpless feelings. To help assuage all these feelings, I’ve contacted my representatives and donated to an abortion travel fund (The Brigid Alliance). But it doesn’t feel like enough. I’m trying to think long-term and how daily choices can contribute to a better future for my daughter (and me!), but it’s going to be an uphill battle for sure, especially since I live in a Southern state. Much love to everyone whose bodily autonomy and choice has been ripped out from under them. Also, you are important, so I hope you’re finding time to rest and take care of yourself and find joy.
Bookish Goods
1973 Protect Roe Tote Bag by InSitchesApparel
Take this Pro Roe tote to carry all the children’s library books you check out on your next library trip. $15
New Releases
A Grand Day by Jean Reidy, illustrated by Samantha Cotterill
I adore this new picture book celebrating grandparents. Samantha Cotterill’s colorful diorama illustrations, the same style she used in Thankful, are unique and vivid, while Jean Reidy’s prose is rhythmic and so sweet. It’s a joy to read and feels like a modern classic.
Nura and the Immortal Palace by M. T. Khan
In the past week, I’ve read a few articles and tweets about how portal fantasies are getting a bit tired, but I could not disagree more, and this new middle grade portal fantasy shows how much possibility there is still remaining in the genre. Nura lives in a small Pakistani village and works in a mine. After a mining accident supposedly kills several of her friends, she investigates and finds a portal to a world full of jinn, and her friends. But while at first this new world seems much better than her old one, soon she realizes that she and her friends are in a lot of danger.
For a more comprehensive list, check out our New Books newsletter.
Riot Recommendations
One of the ways we can think about slowly changing perceptions around the necessity of bodily autonomy is to teach kids about consent from an early age. Consent was never discussed when I was a kid, but in the last few years, several excellent children’s books have been published about the topic. Here are some of my favorites.
Don’t Hug Doug: (He Doesn’t Like It) by Carrie Finison, illustrated by Daniel Wiseman
This interactive picture book is a lot of fun to read to kids. Doug is a happy kid who doesn’t like hugs. And that’s fine! Some people do, and some people don’t. How do you know the difference? You ask. I love this book’s emphasis on asking and how it demonstrates how to ask and various ways to respond.
Rissy No Kissies by Katey Howes, illustrated by Jess Engle
Rissy the lovebird does not like kisses, but all lovebirds like kisses, right? Rissy worries there might be something wrong with her, but with her mother’s support, she realizes she is perfectly valid not to enjoy kisses and can show her love in other ways. This rhyming picture book flows really well and gets requested quite a bit at my house!
Yes! No!: A First Conversation About Consent by Megan Madison and Jessica Ralli, illustrated by Isabel Roxas AOC
This board book is an excellent one to have on hand in preschool and daycare settings, and also for starting conversations with caregivers and young children. In clear language and dialogue, this book shows what consent means, how to ask for consent, and how to respond when asked for consent. It has advice for caregivers in the back.
Bodies are Cool by Tyler Feder
While this picture book doesn’t discuss consent, it’s my favorite body-positive children’s book. Children need to love and embrace their bodies to be able to have the confidence to stand up for their bodies, and this rhythmic picture book will have kids singing about how their bodies are cool. I love the diversity of bodies represented. It’s a joyful, beautiful book.
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Speaking of how cool bodies are, my daughter (4) officially has her first Covid-19 vaccine! She loves learning about how the human body works, so before going, we talked about how vaccines work, and she was super excited to get the shot. She had no side effects. Several of you emailed me about getting your under 5s vaccinated, and I’m so happy! That’s been a major bright spot in my week.
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. If you’d like to drop me a line, my email is kingsbury.margaret@gmail.com
Until next Tuesday!
Margaret Kingsbury