Happy Tuesday and happy Halloween, kidlit friends! What’s everyone dressing up as for Halloween? My daughter decided to go as Hello Kitty dressed as a witch, and to go with her costume, I’ve decided to be Chococat. I chose Chococat primarily because he’s the easiest Hello Kitty character to dress as.
Autumn is here, which means it’s time to curl up with a great read and get cozy — whatever your version of cozy looks like. Whether it’s romance, creepy reads, modern classics, or escapist reads you crave, TBR can help you find the perfect books for your fall reading, with options curated to your specific reading tastes.
Bookish Goods
Holographic Reading Cat Sticker by RobotDanceBattle
These holographic cat stickers are mew-tastic! $3
New Releases
On the Tip of a Wave by Joanna Ho, illustrated by Cátia Chien
This stunning picture book biography tells the story of activist and artist Ai Weiwei in Ho’s trademark lyrical free verse. Ai Weiwei was born in China in 1957 and spent much of his youth living in a Chinese labor camp. This picture book particularly focuses on his “Safe Passage” art installation in Berlin, which is comprised of discarded lifejackets from refugees. Refugee stories inspire many of Weiwei’s pieces. Chien’s gorgeous illustrations nod to his “Safe Passage” piece with pops of orange in every page spread. I would read this to accompany discussions on art, activism, and refugees.
Winter’s Gifts by Kaitlin B. Curtice, illustrated by Gloria Félix
There aren’t many picture books about Winter Solstice traditions, and this one written from an Indigenous Potawatomi perspective is lovely. Dani’s family teaches her about the many gifts winter brings, like resting and the time to tell stories. She’s excited to study the moon’s phases at school and celebrate Grandmother Moon and the sun’s birthday with her family. But when she tells her friends at school about her family’s celebrations, they laugh at her. At first, this makes her sad, but her supportive family helps her to move past her classmates’ mockery and enjoy winter’s gifts. Her friends are more open-minded in the end.
For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.
Riot Recommendations
Since both my daughter and I are dressing up as some variation of a cat for Halloween (my daughter has dressed as a cat almost every year), I thought I would recommend some new cat children’s books!
Purring, Rolling, Stretching by Chihiro Ishizu, illustrated by Nanako Matsuda
This adorable board book follows a day in the life of a white cat. Each page has one action sentence—”The cat slurps a drink of water”—followed by the action repeated three times—”slurp, slurp, slurp.” Pages are mostly black and white with pops of vibrant color. My daughter particularly likes the page where the cat poops.
The Kitten Story by Emily Jenkins, illustrated by Brittany Cicchese
This adorable picture book based on a true story would also make a great winter read. A family has decided to adopt their first kitten, and everyone has different ideas about what to name the kitten. Surprisingly, they agree on Nigel, but when the youngest member of the family and the mom arrive at the shelter, they find it’s shut down. The next day, the mom goes to another shelter alone, but instead of bringing home a kitten, she brings home a cat, and she’s named him something completely different. This is such a sweet story.
Ethan and the Strays by John Sullivan, illustrated by Hatem Aly
Ethan walks to school with his older brother, and one day, he sees stray kittens and ends up naming them. He worries about them when the weather turns cold. He and his brother take the kittens to a local vet clinic where they’re spayed and neutered. Ethan and his brother are also given boxes with straw to help the kittens stay warm. Ethan ends up bringing one of the kittens home. There are a lot of stray cats where my mom lives, and she converted a shed into a heated barn for them during the winter (and she also captures them to be spayed and neutered). It’s great to see practical stories about how to help the feral cat population like this.
My Cat Does Ballet by Robert Heidbreder, illustrated by Matt Schu
Now for a completely different kind of picture book. A boy chronicles all the amazing ballet moves his cat performs—glissades on slippery floors, pas de deux with the new puppy, en pointe while staring out the window. His friends also have cats capable of amazing feats, like stealing stuffed animals, riding vacuum cleaners, and sliding down banisters. Worried that his friends don’t believe that his cat does ballet, the boy invites his friends and their cats to a party at his house. What follows is a most improbable ballet performance.
I am sadly very allergic to cats and don’t have any. They’re my daughter’s favorite animal, however, so we have at least a dozen cat stuffed animals. My daughter missed school this week due to strep, and we ended up pretend-playing vet clinic for much of the week. I’m sad to say Jiji fell and broke a leg, but thankfully, Doc McStuffins was able to help.
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.
All the best,
Margaret Kingsbury