Picture Book Pick: Bábo: A Tale of Armenian Rug-Washing Day

 

Bábo: A Tel of Armenian Rug-Washing Dayby Astrid Kamalyan

Illustrated by Aniat Semirdzhyan

Charlesbridge

2023

32 pages

ISBN: 9781623543587

Lively, lovely and full of laughs, Babo: A Tale of Armenian Rug-Washing Day is a sure hit!

Bábo enlists the children help her in cleaning all of gorgeous Armenian rugs in their household. They roll up and carry the rugs to the front of the house where they "soak, soap and wash the rugs." For the kids, it's not a chore, it's a celebration. In fact, the kids wait all year for a sunny day in June to wash and play in the water and soap. The suds and water become rain and snowflakes. The children scrub and scrub. Then it's time to SLIDE. 

The rugs are turned over and washed on the underside and are perfect until...the famly dog chases a rooster across the rugs! Then the chickens get loose, and it's a party. Once the kids catch the birds, they rewash the rugs and set them on benches to dry. Now it's time for a snack. Babo (Grandmother) and her pastries feel like a warm hug. The memories of rug-cleaning day are a treat for all readers to experience. 

A glossary, author's note and a page titled "About Armenian Carpet-Weaving Tradition" helps readers understand the importance family, living off the land by pickling and preserving summer's bounty of herbs and fruits and washing (playing) the rugs that have been passed down for generations. 

What a wonderful love letter to Armenia and family! A treasure of a read. Colorful illustrations capture the joy of childhood and the fun melee of dirty dog paws and loose chickens.

Ages 3 and up. 

 

Rainbow Shopping

by Qing Zhuang

Illustrations by the author 

Holiday House

2023

40 pages

ISBN: 9780823449774

Picture Book Pick: Boop!

 

Boop! by Bea Birdsong

Illustrations by Linzie Hunter

Harper Collins Children's Books

2023

32 pages

ISBN: 9780063214804

Boop! is a fun read aloud for kids who love dogs (and who doesn't?). A dog's snoot is his nose, and everyone knows, "Snoots need boops," a gentle tap that lets the dog know you're their pal. There are snoots everywhere that need boops! 

Illustrations of small dogs, big dogs, dog park dogs,  even fancy dogs will keep kids laughing at the dogs' antics. The fun text will make littles giggle. Who wants a boop?

Highly recommended for any home that loves pets and those who wish they had a snoot to boop. 

Picture Book Pick: The Light Within You

 

The Light Within You

by Namita Moolani Mehra

Illustrations by Kamala Nair

Published by Two Lions

2023

40 pages

ISBN: 9781542039123

Diya is excited to be traveling to India for Diwali, the Festival of Lights and she can't wait to see her Nani and spend time with her. 

Once in India, Diya feels at home. She goes to the bazaar (market) with her grandmother to shop for the  ingredients they need to make all the foods. They make coconut laddoos and Diya thinks she might make some of them when she gets home to share with her classmates. 

Diya confides in Nani that school is sometimes hard and she doesn't fit it, and Nani tells her that when things are tough, she should draw power from her inner light. The Festival of Lights is a magical time and "hundreds of diyas it up the night." It is a wonderful time and Nani sends her love and magic words home with Diya. As long as Diya remembers her inner light, she will shine. 

A lovely book celebrating The Festival of Lights and the love of a girl and her grandmother. ages 2 and up. 

Picture Book PIck: A Bear, A Bee and a Honey Tree

 

A Bear, a Bee, and a Honey Tree 

by Daniel Bermstrom

Illustrations by Brandon James Scott

published by Hippo Park

2022

40 pages

ISBN: 9781662640087

A hungry bear, a scent of sweet honey and a hive of outraged bees entangle in this epic battle. Bear just wants food. He is cute, quirkly, clumsy and highly lovable. The bees have other ideas: he's an intruder in their home! How dare this bear steal from them? 

Brilliant yet sparse text sets the mood right away. And the illustrations! This picture book is the most perfectly illustrated book this year. The illustrations are spot on with the text and the story, capturing every subtle nuance of the the bear and the bees. The choices of color depict the golden-ness of the honey so well a reader can almost taste it. 

A great choice for a read-aloud. Don't you dare read this one silently. A Bear, a Bee and a Honey Tree is likely the picture book that sets the bar for perfect storytelling and art that enhances it. 

Highly, highly recommended ages 3 and up. This book will be a childhood favorite. 

Picture Book Pick: Simon and the Better Bone

 

Simon and the Better Bone

by Corey R. Tabor

Illustrations by the author 

Balzer + Bray

2023

40 pages

ISBN: 9780063275553

Simon is excited to see a dog just like him when he visits the pond. The dog has a bone just like his, but better! Simon wonders how he can get the other dog's bone. The dog seems to know all Simon's tricks. He is copying Simon. Children will realize Simon is staring at his own reflection and giggle at his doggy antics.

With a nod to Aesop's fable "The Dog and His Reflection," Tabor captures little rascally Simon on every page. The book opens and reads vertically, making this book format stand out from all other picture books this year. Innovative design will capture the hearts of child readers and picture book judging panels. Expect to see Simon and the Better Bone awarded this year! Kudos to Corey R. Tabor. 

Ages 3 and up. A cute, fun, heartwarming tale about a dog learning about himself, the world and others. 

Highly, highly recommended. 

Picture Book Pick: Cloud Babies: Sometimes All We Need To Do Is Look Up

 

Cloud Babies: Sometimes All We Need To Do Is Look Up

by Eion Colfer

illustrated by Chris Judge 

2023

40 pages

ISBN: 9781536231076

When Erin falls ill and has to go to the hospital, she is sad. She finds joy in searching the skies from her hospital window. She remembers watching for  "cloud babies" with her parents and seeing fantastical things in the clouds. Each cloud looks like an animal and they are her cloud babies. 

She shows the other sick kids how to find them. When Erin gets better, she is excited to be going home, but home and school are different than before.  She's been gone so long, she feels she has nothing in common with the other kids. Through compassion and patience, her parents, her teacher and her classmates make Erin feel "at home." 

Cloud Babies is an empathetic story of a sick child and how she handles her lengthy hospital stay. After missing months of school, it's difficult for a child to transition into the "normal." 

Ages 4 and up. 

Picture Book Pick: Big

 

BIG

by Vashti Harrison 

Little Brown and Company

Hachette Book Group, Inc.

2023

60 pages

ISBN: 9780316353229

A National Book Award Finalist

A happy child, a growing child, a caring child is told, "What a big girl you are!" and "What a good girl you are!" and it is good...UNTIL...the words are the same but the tone changes. Sitting on Santa's lap, "You're  a big girl, aren't you?" Standing among classmates, she is the tallest and largest. She wants to fade into the background. 

When adults begin to tell her, "You're too big," and kids begin to laugh at her, calling her cruel names, the girl doesn't fit in anywhere. The words sting and she disappears within herself. When adults try to "fix" her, it hurts her feelings. She decides to give them their words back. All the hurtful words, she gives back to those who hurt her. She sees a way out. She will make more room for herself: for her imagination, her caring, her empathy, her kindness. 

This lovely picture book will resonate with so many girls and boys who are dancers. Sadly, ballerinas are supposed to be lithe and tiny, and BIG is not celebrated in the dance world (or anywhere else usually). The girl owns her uniqueness and bigness and does not want to change. She likes the way she is. 

The inspirational moment the girl spreads her wings to make more room for herself in the world is captured beautifully on a double fold out spread that will take your breath away. Illustrations alone tell the story of the girl's journey to accept herself and insist that others accept her as she is. 

This is a powerful book and a must-read for every child. The customer reviews on Amazon are full of stories of women who bought this book for themselves because of the same type "big" shaming that happened to them as children.