Happy Sunday, kidlit friends! My daughter’s birthday was last weekend, and she had a blast. We took her out to eat on her actual birthday, and then she had a birthday party with a few friends at a playground over the weekend. I can’t believe she’s six!
It’s happening, readers — we’re bringing paperbacks! Whether you (or a reader you know and love) hate carrying around bulky hardcovers, you’re on a budget, you want a wider range of recommendations or all of the above, you can now get a paperback subscription from TBR, curated just for you by one of our Bibliologists. The holidays are here, and we’ve got three different levels for gifting (to yourself or others) to suit every budget. Get all the details at mytbr.co.
This week, I review two new wonderful picture books about grandmothers and winter-themed books for all ages.
Bookish Goods
Golden Merry Little Christmas Shirt by DesIndie
This Little Golden Book Christmas T-shirt is so adorable! $25
New Releases
A Gift for Nai Nai by Kim-Hoa Ung
Lyn Lyn’s Nai Nai (grandmother) has been teaching her how to crochet. Nai Nai’s birthday party is approaching, and Lyn Lyn has the perfect idea for a gift — she can crochet her a hat! There’s only one problem: it’s very difficult to crochet a hat. Lyn Lyn decides to ask Nai Nai for help and cleverly tells her the hat is for “her best friend” — which is true! Back matter includes instructions for how to crochet Nai Nai’s hat. This is an adorable picture book.
Laolao’s Dumplings by Dane Liu, illustrated by ShinYeon Moon
Millie loves helping Laolao in the kitchen, especially when the two make dumplings together. When Laolao can no longer make dumplings, Millie goes to Chinatown with her parents to find the dumpling ingredients and makes the dumplings for Laolao. This is a warm, delightful picture book about community, family, and food. The illustrations are lovely and detailed. Back matter includes a dumpling recipe.
For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.
Riot Recommendations
Winter approaches, and while we are unlikely to get much snow here in Nashville, I love reading winter-themed children’s books. Here are four recent favorites.
Who Jumps More? by Grace Lin (board book)
I adore Grace Lin’s board books in the Storytelling Math series, which follow four children as the seasons change. In this newest addition to the series, Olivia and Mei jump like animals in the snow, comparing their footprints. Mei jumps like a reindeer, and Olivia jumps like a rabbit. When they reach a tree, they try to figure out who jumped more. Another winter-themed board book in this series is The Last Marshmallow, also featuring Olivia and Mei!
Skating Wild on an Inland Sea by Jean E. Pendziwol, illustrated by Todd Stewart (picture book)
In this beautiful poetic picture book, two siblings wake up and hear winter’s song beckoning them to skate on Lake Superior. As they walk to the lake through the boreal forest, they encounter wolf pawprints and listen to the caws of ravens. They lace their skates, and finally, it’s time to join the song and skate. This is such a lovely ode to nature for young skaters to read.
Jo Jo Makoons: Snow Day by Dawn Quigley, illustrated by Tara Audibert (chapter book)
In this stand-alone third book in the Jo Jo Makoons chapter book series, Jo Jo and her classmates are learning about what it means to be healthy and make healthy choices. Jo Jo is intrigued. When the Ojibwe reservation shuts down after a snowstorm, Jo Jo decides to organize an Ojibwe Olympics to help everyone in the community stay healthy. This series is funny and charming.
A World Full of Winter Stories by Angela McAllister, illustrated by Olga Baumert
This anthology of illustrated folktales collects 50 stories from around the world that celebrate winter. The folktales are divided into six categories: “Birds and Beasts,” “Tricks and Troubles,” “Ice and Snow,” “Quests and Journeys,” “Spirits and Magic,” and “Christmas.” This would be a great anthology to read as a family over winter.
I set up a bit of a surprise for my daughter while she was at school: A cat birthday banner with her birthday presents. The banner is being held up with book stacks, ha! She screamed a happy scream when she opened her book present and discovered several Bad Kitty chapter books, her favorites right now.
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