Author: Karina Glaser

Beautiful Children’s Books to Gift for the Holidays

Post author By Karina Glaser
Post date November 27, 2020

The Complete Flower Fairies by Cicely Mary Barker

As always, the Folio Society comes out with beautiful new children’s books in beautiful slip covers. This collection of Flower Fairies books is absolutely stunning, with fully restored original paintings and line drawing decorations by the author. This is a perfect gift for anyone who loves gorgeous books and wants a truly stunning box set for their collection.

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang by Ian Fleming, illustrated by John Burningham

Another new Folio edition, this children’s classic is about a decrepit ex-racing car saved from the wrecker’s yard and restored into a beautiful automobile with magical powers. This beautiful new edition pays homage to Fleming’s brilliant creation and includes every one of John Burningham’s unforgettable illustrations from the first editions. The author’s nephew, Fergus Fleming, has written an exclusive new afterword essay and this is illustrated with previously unpublished sketches, as well as photographs, some from the family archive, and Amherst Villiers’s original Chitty model designs.

The Little Mermaid by Jerry Pinkney

Oh, this beautiful book! Mr. Pinkney has created another work of art filled with luscious illustrations that fills every page. In this reimagining of Hans Christian Andersen’s classic, Melody, the littlest sea princess, is not content just to sing in the choir of mermaids like her sisters. She is an explorer who wonders about what lies above the water’s surface… especially the young girl she has spied from a distance. To meet her requires a terrible sacrifice: she trades her beautiful voice for a potion that gives her legs, so that she may live on land instead. But when trouble stirs beneath the ocean, Melody faces another impossible choice — stay with her friend, or reclaim her true identity and save her family.

Maps: Deluxe Edition by Aleksandra Mizielinkska and Daniel Mizielinkski

This oversized book is a perfect gift for budding explorers who love learning about the world. This is a great option during the pandemic when traveling is restricted. This book features new and updated material on every spread and twenty-four entirely new maps. In addition to geographic features like borders and cities, this volume features places of historical and cultural interest, eminent personalities, cultural events, and iconic animals, allowing you to explore the globe without leaving your couch.

All Because You Matter by Tami Charles, illustrated by Bryan Collier

I will buy any book that Bryan Collier illustrates! His unique style of watercolor and collage makes every book he works on a treasure of gorgeous art. Combined with Tami Charles’s lyrical, heart-lifting love letter to Black and brown children everywhere, this book is a true gem and belongs on everyone’s bookshelf.

Alphabet Kingdom by Starla Michelle Halfmann

Another oversized book, this is the most beautiful alphabet book you will ever see. The letters of the English language come alive through the artwork of Austin-based fine artist Starla Michelle Halfmann. Children will learn and marvel as their ABCs become members of the animal kingdom. This is a book to treasure and love!

The Lost Spells by Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris

This is a great book for older readers who love nature and poetry. The Lost Spells evokes the wonder of everyday nature, conjuring up red foxes, birch trees, jackdaws, and more in poems and illustrations that flow between the pages and into readers’ minds. Robert Macfarlane’s spell-poems and Jackie Morris’s watercolour illustrations are musical and magical: these are summoning spells, words of recollection, charms of protection.

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.

Until next time!
Karina

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Children’s Books About Food Gratitude

Post author By Karina Glaser
Post date November 20, 2020

Sponsored by Margaret Ferguson Books / Holiday House.

Rick Rusek is one of the Seven Wonders of Los Angeles. He can look at a traffic jam and figure out how to fix it in a second. Too bad his motion sickness is so intense he can barely ride in a car. When L.A.’s terrible traffic puts his family’s Polish catering service in jeopardy, Rick hatches a plan. But he’ll need help from Girl Scouts, a famous street artist, and the best driver in L.A. Together they’ll take on the stream of stalled cars—and a conspiracy or two. If he can save his family’s future, maybe everyone will see that he’s not Carsick Rick. He’s the Colossus of Roads.

Hi Kid Lit Friends,

I’ve been thinking a lot about food disparity lately and the importance of honoring food cultures. From fry bread to “ugly vegetables” to the role of the corner grocery store to soup kitchens, these six children’s books speak to the essential role of food in all of our lives.

Freedom Soup by Tami Charles, illustrated by Jacqueline Alcántara

Until I read this book, I did not know much about the special soup that Haitians all over the world eat to ring in the new year, a tradition dating back to the Haitian Revolution. In this book, Ti Gran is teaching Belle how to make Freedom Soup, just like she was taught when she was a little girl. Together, they dance and clap as they prepare the holiday feast, and Ti Gran tells Belle about the history of the soup, the history of Belle’s family, and the history of Haiti, where Belle’s family is from. I loved this joyful, celebratory story!

The Ugly Vegetables by Grace Lin

This is one of my favorite picture books! In this story, a Chinese-American girl is embarrassed by her mom’s garden of bumpy, ugly vegetables. Her neighbors’ gardens look so much prettier and so much more inviting than the garden of “black-purple-green vines, fuzzy wrinkled leaves, prickly stems, and a few little yellow flowers” that she and her mother grow. Nevertheless, mother assures her that “these are better than flowers.” Come harvest time, everyone agrees as those ugly Chinese vegetables become the tastiest, most aromatic soup they have ever known, and the neighborhood joins them for a delicious meal.

Thank You, Omu! by Oge Mora

I adore all of Oge Mora’s books! This one is about Omu’s delicious soup and how it draws the neighborhood toward the delicious aroma. Omu cannot help but share her soup until the pot is empty. Is there nothing left for her? This book, like the previous two on this list, is all about how food can bring together a community. This book was the winner of the Caldecott Honor!

Our Little Kitchen by Jillian Tamaki

This wonderful book is all about how a group of volunteers come together creates a meal for their community each week. With a garden full of produce, a joyfully chaotic kitchen, and a friendly meal shared at the table, Our Little Kitchen is a celebration of full bellies and looking out for one another. At the end of the book, there are recipes as well as an author’s note about her experience as a volunteer.

Fry Bread: A Native American Story by Kevin Noble Maillard, illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal

This stunning book is about how fry bread serves as an important part of Native American food culture and history. The text and illustrations depict the diversity of indigenous peoples (check out the gorgeous end papers!), the role of continuity between generations, and the adaptation over time of people, place, and tradition.

Our Corner Store by Robert Heidbreder, illustrated by Chelsea O’Byrne

I think we can all relate to the importance and impact of a neighborhood corner store. In this gorgeous book in verse, Stanstones corner store is the heart of the neighborhood for the brother and sister. They help to close the store every Saturday and save their pennies to buy candy. The store is the source of many adventures, where they spend a memorably spooky Halloween, play tricks on Mr. and Mrs. Stanstones, and form a search party to find Toby the store cat when he goes missing. What will happen to their beloved corner store when a brand-new supermarket opens up in town?

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.

Until next time!
Karina

The Kids Are All Right

Beautiful Box Sets!

Post author By Karina Glaser
Post date November 13, 2020

What You Do Matters Boxed Set by Kobi Yamada, illustrated by Mae Besom

These bestselling books are beautifully packaged in a boxed set inlaid with gold foil. GOLD FOIL! The books include What Do You Do With an Idea?, What Do You Do With a Problem?, and What Do You Do With a Chance? I love the messages of these books, which encourage children to try, fail, think, and persevere.

Jon Klassen’s Hat Box by Jon Klassen

I have been a huge fan of Jon Klassen’s art for years. I Want My Hat Back is one of my all time favorite stories. The subsequent stories in this trilogy, This Is Not My Hat and We Found a Hat, are just as charming. Who knew stories about hats could be so fun? The bear’s hat is gone, and he wants it back. A fish has stolen a hat; will he get away with it? Two turtles have found one hat, but the hat looks good on both of them. What to do?

Mercy Watson Boxed Set: Adventures of a Porcine Wonder by Kate DiCamillo, illustrated by Chris Van Dusen

These chapter books are a perfect mix of humor, fun story, and beautiful illustrations – a home run for newly independent readers. Foiling a robber, driving a car, squeezing into a tutu—is there anything the porcine wonder won’t do in her single-minded pursuit of treats, buttered toast, or just a rollicking fun time? And who knows what other adventures twinkle in her mischievous eyes?

Dory Fantasmagory: Outside the Box by Abby Hanlon

I recommend the Dory Fantasmagory series to everyone who has a newly independent reader in their home. Dory is one of my favorite characters, a little rascal with a big personality and an imagination to match! As the youngest in her family, Dory really wants attention, and more than anything she wants someone to play with. But she’s too much of a baby for her big brother and sister, so she’s left to her own devices–and soon enough, Dory is busy with friends both real and imaginary. This box set contains the first four books: Dory Fantasmagory, The Real True Friend, Dory Dory Black Sheep, and Head in the Clouds.

Amulet #1 – 8 Box Set by Kazu Kibuishi

The eight book graphic novel set is stunning. The drawings and colors and packaging make this a perfect gift for graphic novel fans. After tragedy strikes their family, Emily and Navin move with their mother into the old, mysterious home of their great-grandfather. On their first night in the strange house, Emily and Navin’s mom is kidnapped by a tentacled creature. Determined to rescue her, Emily and Navin are led into a world of robots, talking animals, flying ships, new friends… and enemies. I found this series to be particularly popular among third to fifth graders!

Smile, Sisters, and Guts: The Box Set by Raina Telgemeier

Speaking of graphic novels, you cannot go wrong with books by Raina Telgemeier. I love this set of graphic memoirs, covering issues that range from health, friendships, anxiety, and sibling rivalry. Raina perfectly captures the feelings of growing up, giving readers today a book they can laugh with, relate to, and be encouraged by.

Gaither Sisters Trilogy Box Set: One Crazy Summer; PS. Be Eleven, Gone Crazy in Alabama by Rita Williams-Garcia

I absolutely love this middle grade series! Rita Williams-Garcia has a beautiful way of capturing family and sisterhood, while exposing readers of today to what life was like in the 1960s. The books follow eleven-year-old Delphine and her younger sisters, Vonetta and Fern, as they visit their kin all over the rapidly changing nation—and as they discover that the bonds of family, and their own strength, run deeper than they ever knew possible.

Jason Reynolds’s Track Series Paperback Collection: Ghost; Patina; Sunny; Lu by Jason Reynolds

This stunning series for middle grade readers follows the lives of four runners: Ghost, Patina, Sunny, and Lu. Together they make up a relay group on an elite track team. While they couldn’t be more different, they have to trust each other in order to accomplish their shared goals.

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.

Until next time!
Karina

The Kids Are All Right

Picture Books for Mindfulness

Post author By Karina Glaser
Post date November 6, 2020

Thank You, Miyuki by Roxane Marie Galliez, illustrated by Seng Soun Ratanavanh

Thank You, Miyuki has some of the most beautiful illustrations I’ve seen in a picture book. In this story, Miyuki’s curiosity is piqued by her grandfather’s morning meditation routine, and she is eager to learn this new skill. Her wise and patient grandfather first takes her on a walk in the garden, enjoying the warm sun and stopping to smell a rose while inviting Miyuki to join him. Their walk in the garden, filled with many tender moments, heightens their gratitude for each other and for the world around them. Miyuki comes to understand that in the small acts of mindfulness throughout her day, she learned how to meditate.

Slow Down: 50 Mindful Moments in Nature by Rachel Williams, illustrated by Freya Hartas

This is a lovely book that reminds us that nature is working wonders in every moment. Every day, hour by hour, magical transformations happen right in front of you. While it’s not always easy to spot these changes, this book provides fifty examples for readers to reflect on and then think about when they go outside.

I Am Peace: A Book of Mindfulness by Susan Verde, illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds

I Am Peace: A Book of Mindfulness is from a series of books that include I Am Peace, I Am Love, and I Am Human. This book examines Mindfulness, which means being fully in the present moment. Children can learn how to manage their emotions, make good choices, and balance their busy lives by learning to be mindful, express emotions through speech, find empathy through imagination, and wonder at the beauty of the natural world.

Here and Now by Julia Denos, illustrated by E.B. Goodale

This book is a celebration of mindfulness, meditation, and enjoying each moment. This beautifully illustrated picture book is a great tool for engaging children in observing their world around them and managing anxieties. I love how each page turn gives the reader many things to think about and observe on the page.

A Handful of Quiet: Happiness in Four Pebbles by Thich Nhat Hanh

A Handful of Quiet: Happiness in Four Pebbles helps young readers learn how to practice pebble meditation, a playful and fun activity that parents and educators can do with their children to introduce them to meditation. This meditation practice can help relieve stress, increase concentration, nourish gratitude, and can help children deal with difficult emotions.

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.

Until next time!
Karina

If this e-mail was forwarded to you, follow this link to subscribe to “The KidsAre All Right” newsletter and other fabulous Book Riot newsletters for your own customized e-mail delivery. Thank you!*

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Children’s Books for National American Indian Heritage Month

Post author By Karina Glaser
Post date October 30, 2020

Sponsored by Natalie Portman's Fables by Natalie Portman with Macmillan Children's.

“A powerful twist on classic children’s tales . . . allowing children to see themselves—and all others—reflected.” —Entertainment Weekly. From realizing that there is no “right” way to live to respecting our planet and learning what really makes someone a winner, the messages at the heart of Natalie Portman’s Fables are modern takes on timeless life lessons. Told with a playful, kid-friendly voice and perfectly paired with Janna Mattia’s charming artwork, Portman’s insightful retellings are ideal for reading aloud and are sure to become beloved additions to family libraries.

Hi Kid Lit Friends!

Today marks the beginning of National American Indian Heritage Month, a time of recognition for the significant contributions the first Americans made to the establishment and growth of the United States of America. In children’s literature, there have been many beautiful books published by indigenous writers, and I am happy to share some of my favorites with you!

We Are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom, illustrated by Michaela Goade

Recent media attention has cast a light on water inequality, particularly on native lands. One of the most prominent cases has been on the Standing Rock Reservation, located in North Dakota and South Dakota. When the proposed pipeline for the Dakota Access Pipeline was moved to enter reservation land, millions of people protested the construction. This beautiful picture book is an urgent rallying cry to safeguard the Earth’s water from harm and corruption.

Birdsong by Julie Flett

This absolutely gorgeous picture book is about change and community. When a young girl moves from the country to a small town, she feels lonely and out of place. But soon she meets an elderly woman next door who shares her love of arts and crafts. Can the girl navigate the changing seasons and failing health of her new friend? The illustrations reveal the theme of change beautifully through the scenery and the intergenerational relationship between the girl and her neighbor.

Indian Shoes by Cynthia Leitich Smith, illustrated by Jim Madsen

Acclaimed author Cynthia Leitich Smith writes a stunning chapter book, perfect for newly independent readers. The book centers around one questions: What do Indian shoes look like? While some people might say moccasins, Ray Halfmoon prefers hightops. But Grampa Halfmoon likes moccasins, so Ray wears them. After all, it’s Grampa Halfmoon who’s always there to help Ray get in and out of scrapes—like the time they teamed up to pet sit for the whole block during a holiday blizzard! You should definitely check out this beautiful intergenerational story!

Indian No More by Charlene Willing McManis with Traci Sorell

This wonderful middle grade book is about 10-year-old Regina Petit who lives with her family on the Grand Ronde reservation in the 1950s. But when the federal government signs a bill into law that says Regina’s tribe no longer exists, Regina becomes “Indian no more” overnight, even though she was given a number by the Bureau of Indian Affairs that counted her as Indian, even though she lives with her tribe and practices tribal customs, and even though her ancestors were Indian for countless generations. The family moves to Los Angeles, and Regina has to adjust to a whole new life without her tribal community and land.

Race to the Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse

This exciting fantasy middle grade novel is about seventh grader Nizhoni Begay. When she meets Mr. Charles, her dad’s new boss at the oil and gas company, he’s alarmingly interested in Nizhoni and her brother, Mac, their Navajo heritage, and the legend of the Hero Twins. Nizhoni, who has always been able to detect monsters, knows he’s a threat, but her father won’t believe her. When Dad disappears the next day, leaving behind a message that says “Run!”, the siblings and Nizhoni’s best friend, Davery, are thrust into a rescue mission that can only be accomplished with the help of Diné Holy People, all disguised as quirky characters.

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.

Until next time!
Karina

The Kids Are All Right

Spooky Children’s Books!

Post author By Karina Glaser
Post date October 23, 2020

Gustavo the Shy Ghost by Flavia Z. Drago

This delightful picture book is about a ghost who loves to do all the typical things: walk through walls, make objects fly, and glow in the dark. However, he’s also incredibly shy, which makes it difficult for him to make friends. The Day of the Dead is approaching, and he really wants to invite his friends, but how? I love these illustrations and the color palate is to die for! (See what I did there?)

Eerie Elementary series by Max Brallier, illustrated by Sam Ricks

This early chapter book series follows protagonist Sam Graves, who has just discovered that his school is alive! Sam must defend himself and his fellow students against the evil school! Is Sam up to the challenge? He’ll find out soon enough: the class play is just around the corner. Sam teams up with friends Lucy and Antonio to stop this scary school before it’s too late!

Desmond Cole, Ghost Patrol by Andres Miedoso, illustrated by Victor Rivas

This is another early chapter book, perfect for newly independent readers. Desmond Cole is a fearless eight-year-old who runs his own ghost patrol business. The narrator, Andres Miedoso, is Desmond’s best friend… but he’s afraid of everything. The two friends live in Kersville, where ghosts and spirits live all over the town. Some kids get haunted, and that’s when the Ghost Patrol needs to report to duty! This is a funny, sweet series about friendship, the perils of owning a business, and the unpredictability of ghosts and spirits.

Spirit Hunters: The Island of Monsters by Ellen Oh

In the second book of the Spirit Hunters series (aimed for middle grade readers ages 8 – 12), Harper Raine finds it hard to relax when her parents take the whole family to a remote tropical island for vacation. As Harper starts to have visions of the resort’s history of disappearances and discovers more about the island’s dark and fabled past, she must use her newly acquired spirit hunting talents to save everyone on the island from murderous spirits on the attack.

Scritch Scratch by Lindsay Currie

This middle grade book is for fans of scary stories! Claire is a scientist, and she definitely does NOT believe in ghosts. But when she helps her dad with his ghost-themed Chicago bus tours, she sees a boy with a sad face and dark eyes at the back of the bus. There’s something off about his presence, especially because when she checks at the end of the tour…he’s gone. But then the scratching starts. Voices whisper to her in the dark. And the boy with the dark eyes starts following her. Claire is being haunted. The boy from the bus wants something…and Claire needs to find out what before it’s too late.

What are your favorite bedtime picture books? Let me know! Find me on Twitter at @KarinaYanGlaser, on Instagram at @KarinaIsReadingAndWriting, or email me at KarinaBookRiot@gmail.com.

Until next time!
Karina

The Kids Are All Right

Robot Books!

Post author By Karina Glaser
Post date October 16, 2020

Sponsored by Peachtree Publishing Company.

In a city where candy is a crime and sugar is scandalous…Nelle Faulker is a 12-year-old private detective swept up in a sinister underworld of sweets smugglers. When notorious candy gangster Eddie de Menthe asks for her help to find a missing teddy bear, Nelle Faulkner is on the case. But as a seemingly innocent investigation unravels into something more ominous, Nelle and her friends quickly find themselves in the shady underworld of sweets smugglers, back alley deals, and storefront firebombs. With moody illustrations by Daniel Duncan, readers will be sucked into this page-turning mystery from World Fantasy Award-winning author Lavie Tidhar.

Dear Kid Lit friends,

Robots are very trendy these days, and there are plenty of children’s books to satisfy robot-loving readers! *Please note that the dearth of representation in this list demonstrates the lack of robot books written by authors of color.*

For picture books, check out Jessie Sima’s Love, Z. I just love Jessie’s illustrations, and this one is no exception. When a small robot named Z discovers a message in a bottle signed “Love, Beatrice,” they decide to find out what “love” means. Unable to get an answer from the other robots, they leave to embark on an adventure that will lead them to Beatrice—and back home again, where love was hiding all along.

Boy + Bot by Ame Dyckman, illustrated by Dan Yaccarino, is a charming book about a boy and a robot who meet in the woods and spend the day together. But when Bot gets switched off, Boy thinks he’s sick. The usual remedies—applesauce, reading a story—don’t help, so Boy tucks the sick Bot in, then falls asleep. Bot is worried when he powers on and finds his friend powered off. He takes Boy home with him and tries all his remedies: oil, reading an instruction manual. Nothing revives the malfunctioning Boy! Can the Inventor help fix him?

In Little Robot by Ben Hatke, a little girl finds an adorable robot in the woods. When she presses a button and accidentally activates him for the first time, she finally has a friend. But the big, bad robots are coming to collect the little guy for nefarious purposes, and it’s all up to a five-year-old armed only with a wrench and a fierce loyalty to her mechanical friend to save the day!

For newly independent readers, check out Geeger the Robot Goes to School by Jarrett Lerner. This Amelia Bedelia-like book is about Geeger the Robot, and he is going to school. But not robot school…a school with kids, the human kind! As expected, Geeger isn’t used to human ways, and his zany misunderstandings and overly literal responses to instructions lead to quite a few mishaps. He’s starting to wonder if he can even make it until snack time! Will a bot made of wires, nuts, and bolts fit in with a classroom of kids?

And for middle grade readers, check out The Wild Robot by Peter Brown. When robot Roz opens her eyes for the first time, she discovers that she is all alone on a remote, wild island. She has no idea how she got there or what her purpose is–but she knows she needs to survive. After battling a violent storm and escaping a vicious bear attack, she realizes that her only hope for survival is to adapt to her surroundings and learn from the island’s unwelcoming animal inhabitants. As Roz slowly befriends the animals, the island starts to feel like home–until, one day, the robot’s mysterious past comes back to haunt her.

What I’m Reading

Thank you, Miyuki by Roxane Marie Galliez, illustrated by Seng Soun Ratanavanh

Nacho’s Nachos: The Story Behind the World’s Favorite Snack by Sandra Nickel and Oliver Dominguez

Eric by Shaun Tan

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.

Until next time!
Karina