Happy Tuesday, kidlit friends! We are back from vacationing in the Smoky Mountains and wow do I wish we could’ve stayed longer! It’s gorgeous this time of year. I wish I could hike in the mountains every day. We also went to Dollywood, and my daughter had an absolute blast. This was her first time riding a roller coaster and she is definitely a fan! I enjoyed it too, but I have to say waiting in long lines for roller coasters is no longer particularly fun, especially now that I get dizzy so easily!
Bookish Goods
Bookworm Ghost Magnet by EmilyCromwellDesigns
This magnet is so adorable, and while yes it’s Halloween related, I would not hesitate to have it on my refrigerator all year long. $5
New Releases
Digestion: The Musical by Adam Rex, illustrated by Laura Park (picture book)
This picture book is so inventive and hilarious. It teaches children about digestion through a musical setting. Lil’ Candy is starring in their first play with four baby carrot backup singers. Some of the body doesn’t want to give Lil’ Candy a chance because candy isn’t healthy. But the tongue argues otherwise, and once Lil’ Candy is swallowed, the digestive journey begins. It turns out Lil’ Candy has more to offer the human body than appearances might suggest! I have spoiled my daughter by singing this entire picture book. She now won’t let anyone else read it to her. So warning: get your singing voices ready!
How the Stars Came to Be by Poonam Mistry (picture book)
This stunningly illustrated folktale explains how the stars came to be. A fisherman’s daughter loves both the moon and the sun, but when the moon disappears a few days out of every month, she mourns for the moon’s light. The sun has a clever idea to provide light at night for the fisherman’s daughter. This is a simply told, beautiful picture book.
For a more comprehensive list, check out our New Books newsletter!
Riot Recommendations
Día de Los Muertos begins in one week, so I thought I would give some recommendations for new children’s books about the holiday!
Little Monster, What Pan Dulce Do You Want??/ ¿Monstruito, que pan dulce quieres? (board book)
This cute English/Spanish bilingual board book features hungry monsters and delectable sweets. Each page offers a new monster a different, sweet Mexican treat, but the monsters keep turning them down! What do these picky monsters want? Pan de Muerto, of course! The back of the book offers descriptions of all the desserts mentioned in the book.
Día de los Muertos by Rosie Pajaro, illustrated by Gaby Zermeño (board book)
This second new board book has a cute little skull finger puppet for kids to play with. It’s a counting book featuring common items on Día de los Muertos, like three skeletons leading a parade and nine family photographs on the altar. It’s a vibrantly illustrated, interactive board book perfect for toddlers.
Our Day of the Dead Celebration by Ana Aranda (picture book)
Mar is really excited to welcome dead family members when they visit on The Day of the Dead. With the help of her parents and Abuela, she remembers family members who have passed, what they enjoyed, and tries to incorporate those likes into the holiday preparations so that their spirits will be happy. This is a sweet picture book about honoring ancestors and celebrating their memories.
The day before we left for our mountain vacation, we went to our first corn maze. I had never been to a corn maze before! It was a lot of fun, though very dusty. They had an adult and children’s corn maze, and we actually found our way out of the adult maze faster than the children’s, go figure!
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