It’s the first day of preschool for my 4-year-old! This is the first time since becoming a parent I’ve had six consecutive, uninterrupted hours to work. It is glorious, but I also miss my daughter! We got off to a bit of a bumpy start this week when we had to miss the technical first day of school due to the both of us contracting a cold. Thankfully, it was just a cold and the preschool she’s attending is very flexible, so they let her go on a different day than she’s signed up for (she’s only going two days a week). I can’t wait for her to tell me how her day went!
Bookish Goods
Banish Book Ban Modern Print by ShelleyCouvillion
Children’s book illustrator Shelley Couvillion recently added this fantastic anti-book banning print to her Etsy store. $23+
New Releases
Sam’s Super Seats by Keah Brown, illustrated by Sharee Miller
I’ve already reviewed this picture book in my newsletter about disabled joy, but I really can’t recommend it highly enough. It’s also an excellent back-to-school read. Sam, who has cerebral palsy, is super excited about going back to school. She and her friends are going back-to-school shopping at the mall. Sam understands the importance of rest and listening to her body, so wherever she goes — whether it’s home, the car, or the mall — she finds a super seat to rest in.
Creepy Crayon by Aaron Reynolds, illustrated by Peter Brown
The third installment of Reynold’s and Brown’s Creepy picture book series features a creepy purple crayon. Jasper Rabbit isn’t doing so well at school, but when he finds a smiling purple crayon on the side of the road, his luck changes. When he uses the purple crayon, all his schoolwork turns out perfect! While this at first seems like a good thing, the story takes a sinister turn when the purple crayon starts wanting to control everything Jasper does. In my previous newsletter, I discussed my daughter’s keen interest in how crayons are made. Needless to say, this is her favorite in the series!
For a more comprehensive list, check out our New Books newsletter!
Riot Recommendations
Our community garden has lots of produce lately, and we’ve been walking there every weekend to purchase some. So today I thought I would share some of my favorite recent picture books celebrating community gardens!
Uncle John’s City Garden by Bernette G. Ford, illustrated by Frank Morrison
In this beautifully illustrated picture book, L’il Sissy and her siblings visit her Uncle John in the city, where they help him transform an empty lot into a vibrant community garden. The story is based on author Bernette Ford’s childhood experiences, and award-winning illustrator Frank Morrison’s rich illustrations are stunning. I would not be surprised if this one wins some awards next year.
Miguel’s Community Garden by JaNay Brown-Wood, illustrated by Samara Hardy
Just like my daughter and I, Miguel and his dads can walk to their local community garden. Today, the garden is having a garden party, and Miguel needs to find sunflowers for the party. By comparing and contrasting different produce in the garden, readers can help Miguel find the sunflowers. This is a standalone follow-up to Amara’s Farm, another delightful compare/contrast book about sustainable food. Amara makes an appearance at the end!
Rooftop Garden by Danna Smith, illustrated by Pati Aguilera
In this rhyming picture book, a community joins together to create a rooftop garden. With hard work, they’re able to gather together and find fresh food for a feast. The warm illustrations depict families of all types, and the back matter includes gardening steps and the stages of plant growth. There’s also a QR code for an accompanying song.
Behold Our Magical Garden by Allan Wolf, illustrated by Daniel Duncan
This poetry collection centers an elementary school’s community garden. The poems are playful and cleverly written, and I love the interactive elements. On every page, readers are invited to interact with the poems and illustrations, from searching and finding items from the poems to solving mysteries. It’s a fantastic, garden-themed poetry collection.
Here’s my daughter enjoying our local community garden, which is only about a 15-minute walk from our house. Last week we bought fresh tomatoes and yellow squash. They’re so much more delicious fresh!
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