Happy Tuesday, kidlit friends! Today is my 40th birthday! I am flabbergasted; where has time gone? I simultaneously feel 25 and 65, so I guess I’ll settle for 40. I need some of that crone magic. To celebrate the day, in this newsletter I’m reviewing my favorite birthday picture books, plus two new releases below.
Before I get to those reviews, did you know that Book Riot has a new podcast? BookRiot.com co-founder Jeff O’Neal explores the wide bookish world through interviews, lists, rankings, retrospectives, recommendations, and much more, featuring people who know and love books. I have yet to watch the movie, but I’m looking forward to listening to Kelly and Vanessa’s deep dive into Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. Subscribe to First Edition on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your podcatcher of choice.
Bookish Goods
Readolotl Axolotl Shirt by SpecialtyGiftsStore
I recently received the picture book Not a Monster by Claudia Guadalupe Martínez and illustrated by Laura González, a lovely read about axolotls, and my daughter has been really interested in learning more about them ever since. I can’t believe this was the first thing that popped up on my Etsy account today! A little eery, maybe? Still cute. $20+
New Releases
From Here to There: A First Book of Maps by Vivian French, illustrated by Ya-Ling Huang (picture book)
When Anna’s friend Zane sends a letter to Anna inviting her over to his home, with a homemade map to show her the way, Anna is inspired to learn more about maps. She draws many kinds of maps, from a map of her cat’s activities to a family tree mapping out her relatives. Her dad teaches her about bird’s eye view and scale, and how notes at the bottom of pages have more information about maps. With a map in hand, Anna makes her way to Zane’s apartment. This approachable and sweet read will indubitably inspire many kids to make their own maps.
Bibi by Jo Weaver (picture book)
This stunningly illustrated picture book tells the story of an elderly flamingo, Bibi, and her importance to her flock. As an honored elder, Bibi is one of the first flamingos to greet new chicks. When the lake dries up, the adult flamingos need to fly and find water, but the chicks aren’t yet ready to fly. Bibi leads them across the hot landscape, encouraging them until they all make it to the water their flock has found. But at the end of the summer, Bibi is too tired to migrate. Her flock is not ready to say goodbye quite yet, though, and treat Bibi with the same care that she has given to them her entire life until she is ready to fly. *cue happy tears.*
In my May new release list for Book Riot, I also review Summer is for Cousins and The Witch of Woodland for today. For a more comprehensive list, check out our New Books newsletter!
Riot Recommendations
Yay for birthdays! At the time of writing this, I have yet to make birthday plans, but I will definitely be reading these four picture books about birthdays with my daughter.
Hazel and Twig: The Birthday Fortune by Brenna Burns Yu
It’s Twig’s first birthday in this adorable picture book centering Korean birthday traditions, and big sister Hazel is excited to see what object Twig will choose for her doljabi. Hazel hopes it will be the yarn, like she chose on her first birthday, so that the two can have a long life together. The sisters and their parents eagerly prepare for the big day by sending out invitations to their animal friends, hanging lanterns with fireflies, and more. Dressed in their beautiful hanboks, the sisters celebrate Twig’s birthday, and Twig chooses something no one could’ve expected.
The Spectacular Suit by Kat Patrick, illustrated by Hayley Wells
Frankie’s birthday party has almost arrived, and her entire family has pitched in to help for the day. There’s only one big problem: Frankie doesn’t like any of the dresses her mother has picked out for her. The night before her birthday, Frankie draws her perfect outfit: a dazzling suit with lightening bolts and lots of pizazz. She crumbles up the picture, knowing there’s no way she’ll ever be able to wear the outfit of her dreams. But when her family finds the drawing, their combined help makes Frankie’s dream suit a reality.
How Old Is Mr. Tortoise? by Dev Petty, illustrated by Ruth Chan
In this silly and perhaps too-relatable picture book, Mr. Tortoise and his friends are excited to celebrate his birthday. They have the birthday cake ready, but how many candles should be on it? How old exactly is Mr. Tortoise? Trips down memory lane provide some clues, though no one can quite nail it down. One thing is for certain, Mr. Tortoise has celebrated quite a few birthdays, which doesn’t make this one any less special, especially when surrounded by friends. This is why I’m opting for ice cream. 😉
It Was Supposed to be Sunny by Samantha Cotterill
I adore Samantha Cotterill’s Little Senses series, which is aimed to help neurodiverse kids. This is the fourth book in the series. Laila had her perfect unicorn-themed birthday party carefully and meticulously planned. She and her mom both know that Laila needs a schedule to feel comfortable. But things almost immediately begin going awry. It rains, so they have to move the party indoors. When the cake goes plummeting, so does Laila’s mood. With help from her mom and service dog, she rejoins the party and ends up having a lovely time with her friends.
Maggie Tokuda-Hall has posted an update to Scholastic’s censorship of her stunning picture book, Love in the Library. In case you missed it, Scholastic wanted to reprint Tokuda-Hall’s picture book without any mention of race or racism. She refused, her refusal got attention so Scholastic apologized. As described in her latest blog, their efforts to make amends are pretty paltry. Publishers really need to wake up and take action against the rising censorship and book bans in the U.S.
This week I got started on my patio garden, pictured here. This is the most I’ve ever planted! Hopefully they all survive, ha! My daughter helped by casting hope spells over the plants. I did not know that was an essential aspect of gardening, but I learn something new every day.
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