-
Subscribe by Email
Popular Posts
Category Archives: picture books for pairing
picture books about mail: a guest post from The Picture Book Club
I’m super excited that YiLing Chen-Josephson from The Picture Book Club is here to share picture books about mail. It’s a fitting post because the subscription service is all about two wonderful things: books and mail!
YiLing, take it away!
There has never been a time in my life when I haven’t loved mail. I can still remember what day of the week each of the family’s magazine subscriptions would arrive, and the names of all the companies — many long since shuttered — whose catalogs I would pore over. As I got older and started to write and receive letters of my own, the prospect of mail took on a whole new richness of anticipation.
Even now, with so many communication options available to us, I love the mail. Especially now, in this age of instant gratification, I feel like there’s something important about having to wait for something to arrive. Part of the impetus of The Picture Book Club was to create a gift that would unfurl over time and that would arrive, of course, through the mail.
I’m thrilled that Danielle has asked me to share a few of my favorite picture books about mail.
Mr. Postmouse’s Rounds by Marianne Dubuc (2015).If there’s one thing (besides mail and picture books, of course) that I’m a sucker for it’s intricately-imagined drawings of animals’ homes. This book had me at hello.
A Letter to Amy by Ezra Jack Keats (1969).
Peter decides to write a letter to his friend Amy to invite her to his birthday party because it will be more special than asking her in person. Keats’s nuanced exploration of the joys and challenges of being 7 is a thing of beauty.
The Jolly Postman or Other People’s Letters by Janet and Allan Ahlberg (1986).
The fun of this book, which details the correspondence received by familiar nursery rhyme characters, is that actual envelopes are affixed to its pages. Open them to find letters, postcards, catalogs, and gifts!
The Gardener by Sarah Stewart, pictures by David Small (1996).
This touching story of a Depression-era girl who is sent to live with her uncle in the city is told entirely through her letters home.
The Post Office Book by Gail Gibbons (1982).
A cool, detailed look at the inner workings of the USPS from Gail Gibbons, a master of the non-fiction picture book.
A Letter for Leo by Sergio Ruzzier (2014).Leo is a mailman who longs to one day receive a letter of his own. A sweet story about loneliness and friendship, accompanied by Ruzzier’s typically hypnotic illustrations.
Katie Morag Delivers the Mail by Mairi Hedderwick (1984).
A lovely evocation of life on a tiny Scottish island.
YiLing Chen-Josephson reads hundreds of picture books every month. Her favorites make their way to other families via The Picture Book Club, the subscription service she runs. The Picture Book Club offers completely customizable subscriptions as well as themed packages such as Around the World in 12 Books and the Big Sibling Book Bundle. Before launching The Picture Book Club, YiLing worked as a writer, an editor, and a lawyer. She lives in NYC with her family and many, many books.
This Picture Book Life readers get $5 off any purchase at The Picture Book Club with the code, “Dd.” Hooray!
knock your socks off non-fiction picture books about the natural world + giveaways
I love the kind of non-fiction picture books that make you cry. But also the kind that inform and dazzle. Here are a few of those about the natural world that will enlighten, enchant, and knock those socks right off!
Mad About Monkeys (2015) and Smart about Sharks (2016) by Owen Davey.
I adored the first book and the follow up. Each of these is a compendium on its subject told and illustrated in fascinating ways; both include information about challenges facing each species. I can’t recommend this pair highly enough.
What will knock your socks off? The combination of stylish design and spellbinding information.
The Disgusting Critters series by Elise Gravel (2016).
Rats and lice have never been so charming. Each narrator introduces you to one critter-kind by way of hilarious spreads with at least one attribute to learn and at least one joke to laugh at (from the critter herself). Not to mention, the art is bold, vivid, and engaging. What better way to learn about the creatures who’ve been relegated to repulsive, but are anything but boring.
What will knock your socks off? The concept and humor.
A Beauty Collected by Rachel Garahan (2016).
A beauty indeed. This is an ABC, from aloe to bougainvillea to coconut and beyond. Each page has exquisite photos of elements of the natural world, some familiar, some perhaps new additions to a child’s vocabulary. But this is a book for any age to bask in the amazing stuff of nature told in lovely rhyme.
What will knock your socks off? Those photos.
The Wonder Garden by Jenny Broom and Kristjana S. Williams (2015).
The Wonder Garden showcases extraordinary flora and fauna on Earth: five amazing habitats and 80 of the incredible animals that live there.
What will knock your socks off? The technicolor illustrations.
Professor Astro Cat’s Frontiers of Space by Dominic Walliman and Ben Newman (2013).
I definitely want an Astronaut-Cat-Professor teaching me about space and stars and the speed of light. Don’t you? Inventive and overall stunning, this is the book about the universe to own.
What will knock your socks off? Having Professor Astro Cat as your guide.
And now, two non-fiction giveaways for you! First up, Mad About Monkeys and Smart About Sharks by Owen Davey, courtesy of Flying Eye Books! One winner gets the set!
And a set of 6 from Elise Gravel’s Disgusting Critters series, the ones pictured here, thanks to Tundra Books. One winner gets all six paperbacks!
fifteen fresh and first-rate fairy tales, folk tales, myths, and more
I’ve been wanting to put together a list of recent (published in the last couple of years) picture books that fall into the fairy tale, folk tale, fable, or myth categories and are also first-rate. And here it is!
FAIRY TALES
The Night Gardener by The Fan Brothers. Grimloch Lane is forever changed by the gardener who shapes trees into whimsical animals overnight. And so is young William.
Bloom by Doreen Cronin and David Small. An unusual fairy, a girl, a kingdom in disrepair, and mud. This tale tells us: “…there is no such thing as an ordinary girl” and that magic can be found in the most commonplace materials and in the willingness to be open and work hard.
The Only Child by Guojing. Wordless with expressive drawings and lots of wonder, this reminds me of the kind of story a child might invent for herself or dream about.
Little Red by Bethan Woollvin. I’ve talked about this retelling’s A+ qualities before.
The Tea Party in the Woods by Akiko Miyakashi. A contemporary fairy tale complete with a girl’s trek through the woods to her grandmother’s house. But the animal characters aren’t scary in this one—on the contrary, they’re magical, welcoming, and have plenty of pie to share.
The Song of Delphnie by Kenneth Kraegel. A bit of a Cinderella in the savannah story, Delphine the palace servant’s singing attracts giraffes to her window each night. It also brings her freedom.
Fairy Tales For Little Folks illustrated by folk artist, Will Moses. Five familiar tales with fun to pore over illustrations.
The Ugly Dumpling by Stephanie Campisi, illustrated by Shahar Kober. A dim sum restaurant take on “The Ugly Duckling” that’s substantial and sweet! (See Bonnie from Thirsty for Tea‘s recipe from my original post on the book here.)
TALL TALES
Marvelous Cornelius: Hurricane Katrina and the Spirit of New Orleans by Phil Bidner, illustrated by Jake Parra. The inspiring story of a large-spirited person who cleaned the city with purpose and pizazz before the storm and helped piece it together after.
Abukacha’s Shoes by Tamar Tessler. The quirky collage illustrations really shine in this passed down folktale about a man whose discarded giant shoes always return to him. It’s special in part because the historical photos included are of the author/illustrator’s family members who perished in the holocaust as a way to honor their memories.
FABLES
The Tiger Who Would be King by James Thurber, illustrated by Joohee Yoon. This fable features a tiger who’s thirsty for power at any cost. It’s boldly illustrated and doesn’t shy away from vivid and violent (though stylized) depictions to make its point about the futility of contests and war.
Louis I, King of the Sheep by Olivier Tallec. A lighter take on the lure of power. A paper crown blows onto Louis the sheep’s head while going directly to his head.
Tokyo Digs a Garden by Jon-Erik Lappano and Kellen Hatanaka. An environmental fable/fairy tale about cities and nature and how to balance both. Also, magic beans. (I interviewed both author and illustrator here.)
MYTHS
Echo Echo: Reverso Poems about Greek Myths by Marilyn Singer, illustrated by Josée Masse. This series of poem-pairs is quite a feat! The first tells the story from one character’s perspective and the next reverses the lines to tell the story from the other’s.
From Wolf to Woof: The Story of Dogs by Hudson Talbott. A “myth of origin” (based on research) about how wolves were tamed, developed a symbiotic relationship with humans, and became the dogs we know and love today.
Your turn! Any recently published fairy tales, folk tales, myths, or legends to add to this list?
a pair of picture books on saying goodbye
Two picture books on saying goodbye, the first an imagination-infused farewell to a grandparent, the second, a love letter to companionship. Both reassure us that goodbye isn’t the end of the story.
Grandad’s Island by Benji Davies (2015)
Grandad is going on a journey and he invites Syd along. They embark through Grandad’s attic, which serves as portal. It makes sense that the attic is the portal. It’s full of all Grandad’s things, fragments of the adventures and obsessions of a well-lived life.
(click image(s) to enlarge)
They sail together to an island. But only Syd will return home (with the kitten).
“…I’m thinking of staying.”
“Oh,” said Syd. “But won’t you be lonely?”
“No…no, I don’t think I will,” said Grandad, smiling.
Grandad will stay in the jungle on his island with all kinds of creatures, his book and tea, his phonograph. It’s wonderful on Grandad’s island. What a vibrant place for Syd to imagine his Grandad hanging out.
This saying-goodbye story shows how our imaginations can help us cope with loss while commemorating a loved one. While Grandad’s final adventure is on his island, Syd will carry that adventurous spirit with him every time he himself sets sail.
Big thanks to Candlewick for images
GRANDAD’S ISLAND. Copyright © 2015 by Benji Davies. Reproduced by permission of the publisher, Candlewick Press, Somerville, MA.
Ida, Always by Caron Levis and Charles Santoso (2016)
Gus and Ida are friends. They’re also polar bears who live at the zoo in a big city. The city is another character in this book, a backdrop whose heartbeat Gus and Ida hear and that’s beautifully weaved into the illustrations.
“You don’t have to see it to feel it,” said Ida.
These two spend every day together in this zoo, in this city. Until the day Ida gets sick and the zookeeper tells Gus he will need to say goodbye. I love the sadness and anger these two bears express. The growl and stomp and snarl. It feels no good to have to say goodbye.
But then, they start to. They snuggle and laugh and comfort. They growl some more. They spend time alone and together. This portrayal of letting go feels so true to life, so true to love.
And then, a goodbye is never final. Because you don’t have to see someone to feel them. They’re there. Always.
Big thanks to Simon & Schuster for images!
I’ve written about picture books on loss before and I’d add My Father’s Arms Are a Boat and Boats for Papa to that list as well. If a child (or anyone) is in the unfortunate position of having to say goodbye, I think these books make worthwhile companions to the process.
picture books on opposites
These picture books explore opposites, but not just in terms of stripes or colors, in terms of characters as well. And in both cases, they not only show us what it means to be opposite—horizontal or vertical; black or white—they demonstrate the saying that opposites do, in fact, attract!
Mister Horizontal & Miss Vertical by Noémie Révah and Olimpia Zagnoli (2014).
(click image(s) to enlarge)
Two characters, one drawn to tall, the other to long. Miss Vertical is a fan of elevators, hot air balloons, and bungee jumping. Mister Horizontal likes scooters, naps, and the ocean. And yet, they’re a perfect match.
This is a wonderful book to illustrate a concept, which is a great skill on its own. But it’s so much fun along the way, thanks in large part to the poppy design that dances on the page in all directions. So bold. So graphic. So Olimpia Zagnoli!
Miss Vertical’s gestures are straight and up and down. Mister Horizontals are curved and round. Together, they’re an X and O.
That’s my one of my favorite spreads, Miss Vertical dangling from a tree, the forest background a lot like her shirt. And the perfect pop of red shoe.
The story was inspired by this photograph by René Maltête. So in a spoiler alert, these two have a child at the end of the book. And the child isn’t exactly like mom or dad. Nope, neither type of stripe will do!
Big thanks to Enchanted Lion Books for images!
Black Cat, White Cat by Silvia Borando (2014).
And now, another kind of opposite! Black and White cats, from the tips of their noses to the tips of their tails. And they like opposite settings, which help them stand out—night and day!
Black Cat likes daytime, when dark-colored swallows soar. White Cat likes nighttime, when bright stars twinkle. But they’re not stuck in their ways. They’re curious cats, adventuring into the reverse unknown.
And there, on the way to new things, they meet. I imagine it’s dusk, but it could be sunrise too. Each experiences new things: fireflies and bumblebees. They discover how much they like to be together.
And at the end, six kittens! And neither black nor white at that. You’ll have to read the book to find out their colorful surprise! (Hint: it’s not a tomato and tasty as juice.)
A pair of picture books. Two love letters to contrast.
