Hi Kid Lit Friends!
I hope you have all had a great week and are enjoying a nice, restful Sunday. Strangely enough, this whole month has felt like spring in New York City. Bulbs are erupting from the ground, which is way earlier than I remember from my over two decades of living in here. My husband and I went to the New York Botanical Garden the other day to see their annual orchid show, and afterwards we sauntered around the gardens and instead of the usual February bleakness, there were plenty of flowers popping up. I don’t know what to think about this! In other news, it was my older daughter’s 15th (!) birthday last Wednesday. Time is going by way too fast!
Bookish Goods
Bookish Birthday Banner by BookologyCo
This is the perfect banner for any bookworm’s birthday! I love how it celebrates the year as a “chapter.” Isn’t that a wonderful way to count the years? $17.50+
New Releases
Mama Shamsi at the Bazaar by Mojdeh Hassani and Samira Iravani, illustrated by Maya Fidawi
I was immediately drawn to the illustrations in this gorgeous picture book. Set in Tehran, Samira and her grandmother head to the big bazaar to buy groceries. It is Samira’s first time going with her grandmother, and Samira imagines them as various animals making their way into the center of the city.
Whale Done by Stuart Gibbs
I love Stuart Gibbs’s FunJungle series! In this eighth installment, the irrepressible Teddy Fitzroy heads on vacation with his girlfriend Summer and her mom. He’s looking forward to some time on the beach, but when a whale washes up on the shore — and then explodes — Teddy knows he has to get to the bottom of the mystery before any other animals get hurt.
For a more comprehensive list, check out our New Books newsletter.
Riot Recommendations
I love recommending books about home, and these new picture books show how sometimes the home that is hard earned is often the sweetest home of all.
Build a House by Rhiannon Giddens, illustrated by Monica Mikai
The words in this picture book were originally written as lyrics to a song composed for the 155th anniversary of Juneteenth and performed with cellist Yo-Yo Ma. Now paired with gorgeous illustrations by Monica Mikai, this book tells the story of a family, forcibly enslaved, who helped build homes and cultivate the lands for families that were not their own. But the family is resolved to build their own lives, their own homes, and claim their song.
Homeland: My Father Dreams of Palestine by Hannah Moushabeck, illustrated by Reem Madooh
Three young girls wait every night for their father to return from work and tell them a story about his homeland of Palestine. Sometimes he tells a story about his trips to the market with his family, and sometimes he tells a story about how he helped cut vegetables at the family cafe. Even though the girls know they might only know Palestine through their father’s stories, they hold his tales close to their heart.
Mama’s Home by Shay Youngblood, illustrated by Lo Harris
A young girl lives in a city, and her mom has a job where she has to work late and travel. Thankfully, the young girl has places to go where she is showered with love and warmth — a different house and a different “Big Mama” for every day of the week.
What are you reading these days?
Let me know! Find me on Twitter at @KarinaYanGlaser, on Instagram at @KarinaIsReadingAndWriting, or email me at KarinaBookRiot@gmail.com.
Happy reading!
Karina
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