The Thanksgiving Story (1954)

the Thanksgiving Story by Alice Dalgliesh is the version of Thanksgiving I learned as a child. The Mayflower arrives in the new world after a treacherous voyage. Life is hard. Relations with the Indians are good as they celebrate a first Thanksgiving. I will save this book with my other ancestral belongings. It tells a story we want to believe.

Doctor DeSoto (1982)

 Doctor DeSoto by William Steig is a fun story about outwitting a fox. In this story, the fox is treated for a painful toothache by a mouse dentist. How will the dentist step into the mouth of the fox without getting eaten? This requires a new, specially designed treatment that’s mouse  proof. William Steig entertains again!

The Squirrel Manifesto (2018)

 The Squirrel Manifesto by Ric Edelmean and Jean Edelman interrupted my work flow. The happy squirrels painted in a landscape of fall colors made it very attractive. It's written in rhyme, a plus. 

So, I shifted into automatic pilot by searching for links to put in the reference section of a Picture Book Talk lesson. I listened to several youtubers read the book online. As usual, I listen to an entire video only when the book appears on screen more than the person reading the book does. The technical quality of the video must be very good. Two videos almost met this criteria, so I watched them both all the way to the end. The story was pretty good and the illustrations by Dave Zaboski were lovely, so I spent another couple of hours screening resources about squirrels. 

It was only after this process that I opened the book to study the text. Surprise, surprise--this book isn't about squirrels. It's a lesson in financial literacy! Backmatter by Edelman Financial Services includes "The Squirrel Manifesto Guide for Grown-Ups"  1. Tax a little, 2. Spend a little, 3. Save a little, 4. Give a little. Lengthy author bios described a highly successful couple. There's a half page given to the artist and a half page of financial references. This book was published by Simon & Schuster; it was not self-published. 

I'm not commenting on the story. I'm also not going to write a Picture Book Talk lesson that could serve as a marketing tool. What I am glad about is that this book made me slow down and pay attention more carefully to my process. Perhaps it got away from me. 

Marisol McDonald Doesn't Match (2011)

 Marisol McDonald Doesn’t Match by Monica Brown is about a child facing cultural expectations of sameness. The insightful title captures one crucial quality of the main character—Marisol is multiracial. She has brown skin and fiery red hair. She also chooses green polka dots and purple stripes in the same outfit. She loves peanut butter and jelly burritos and cursive beside print. She’s “a creative, unique, bilingual, Peruvian-Scottish-American, soccer-playing artist and simply marvelous!”

 On the first page, we learn an essential message: people tell Marisol she doesn’t match. Family, friends, and a classroom teacher disparage her difference. Later, Ms. Apple may recognize her own blind spot when she validates Marisol’s multiracial heritage and creative choices. 

 Sara Palacious’ mixed media illustrations have a playful quality for the young reader. The story is in English and Spanish with vocabulary that’s not challenging. Maybe this book will help children see the conformity they learn at a young age.

This book is read aloud online in English by The Reel Read Kidz Corner. It’s read aloud in Spanish by Harmony At Home.

 My Picture Book Talk lesson for this story is here. 

Tar Beach (1991)

 Tar Beach by Faith Ringgold. I cannot relate. Nothing I can say will do justice to this story.

Flossie & the Fox (1986)

 Flossie and the Fox by Patricia C. McKissack is a story I’m unqualified to discuss in detail. It’s written in a dialect of English I’m not familiar with. It’s the illustrations by Rachel Isadora that caught my attention.On the cover, Flossie and the fox have convincing expressions of pranksters. Isadora captures Flossie’s spunky personality. She must take eggs to Miz Viola, which means walking through the woods. The fox is waiting in the woods to help himself to the eggs. Flossie outwits  the fox with hilarious dialogue. She’s as  shrewd as they come and succeeds in delivering her basket.  I love the final illustration. Flossie breaks the forth wall and simply radiates joy as reveals her genius.

Oma's Quilt (2001)

 Oma’sQuilt by Paulette Bourgeois is a story about a grandmother’s transition to life in a retirement community. Oma lived on Maple street most of her life. Now, all her special belongings are boxed in the basement of her daughter’s home. When grandmother, daughter, and granddaughter (Emily) take a tour of the Forest View Retirement Home they find a cook who prepares meals, rooms with activities, and outdoor gardens full of flowers. But Oma is unhappy; she misses Maple Street. When her belongings are unboxed, Emily suggests making a quilt out of the many fabric items her grandmother saved. The quilt brings back a lifetime of memories and helps Oma feel more at home in her new place.  Stéphane Jorisch’s illustrations show both the emotional journey and the settings in which it occurs. Her brush has a gentle touch well suited to the narrative.

This book is read aloud online by mamamostyn. It’s also an animated film by NFB. 

My Picture Book Talk lesson for this story is here. 

Dog (1994)

 Dog by Robert J. Blake is another story about a solitary man who gives in to the irresistible companionship of a dog. This story comes from the author’s visits to Ireland. The paintings are real places Blake visited. A portrait of the main character is on the dust jacket, a real person who lived all alone without running water or electricity. The author became friends with this solitary man and received permission to paint the inside, outside, and all around the man’s house. The narrative has a “smooth Irish lilt”. The man’s gradual surrender to a dog that appears on his doorstep out of nowhere is a story for all ages. I’m guessing that adults will forgive the man’s harshness as a consequence of his living situation, and they'll perceive his attempts to warm to the dog.

Gregory’s Shadow (2000)

 Gregory’s Shadow by Don Freeman is another example of the main character conquering fear in order to help a friend. This time, Gregory Groundhog performs the same role as the famous Puxatawny Phil. Gregory is expected to emerge from his home and predict the coming of spring. But what happens if Gregory Groundhog loses his shadow?  Gregory’s shadow makes him feel brave. So losing his shadow is double trouble. Fear separates the two and bravery reunites them, all with a convenient seasonal theme perfect for classroom libraries. The story writes itself.

Blueberries for Sal (1948, 1976)

 Blueberries for Sal by Robert McClosky has a story arc that’s delightfully simple. The motivation and behavior of a mother and child mirror those of a mother bear and cub. Sal and her mother walk through the bushes of Blueberry Hill, as do a moma bear and her cub. Both mothers gather blueberries for the winter and we can relate to wildlife. Both mothers focus on the blueberry bushes. Both youngsters wander away and accidentally meet up with the wrong mom. When Sal’s mother realizes she’s accompanied by a bear cub, she’s surprised. When the mama bear sees Sal, she’s surprised. Little readers may feel tension when Sal and the cub wander, but there’s no tension written into story. Rising action is not fostered by McClosky’s  drawings. The mixup is an innocent mistake quickly made  right by caring mothers. Children wander unexpectedly into danger and mothers return them to safety.

Alphabatics (1986)

 Alphabatics bye Suse MacDonald (1986) is another alphabet book with its own point of view. This alphabet book has drawings emerging, step by step from each letter. The capital letter A flips upside down and turns into an ark with animals. The lowercase B enlarges to transform it’s negative space into a balloon. The letter C flips on its side to become the smiling face of a clown. This book is a visual treat. It earned a Caldecott honor for her ingenuity. I’m wondering if looks like this would interest students learning English as a second language.

In the you  tube video by ABC Kinderteach, pronunciations are not consistent for some letters.The A is pronounced like in cat, but the picture is an r-colored  sound  in ark. The G is pronounced with the hard sound in isolation and then the picture is a giraffe. The X is pronounced with a k-like sound, the picture is a xylophone. 

Riana’s  Book  Channel  doesn’t get into this problem because the child reading the book doesn’t make sounds for the isolated letters.

Millions of Cats (1928)

 I picked up this book because I heard Giuseppe Castalano mention it in an episode of The Illustration Podcast. Millions of Cats by Wanda Ga’g won a Newberry Honor Award in 1929. It’s the story of an old man who set out to find a cat for his wife. He came across a hill covered with cats and brought them all home. He chose one cat he thought was the prettiest, but then saw another one he thought was also very pretty, and then he saw another and another. His wife cried that it was impossible to keep them all. When he asked the “hundreds of cats, Thousands of cats,Millions and billions and trillions of cats which one was the prettiest, they fought amongst themselves. The disappearance of all these cats is a little ambiguous, but one kitten is left. It survived because it believed it was “a very homely little cat “. So this is a lesson in modesty? I don’t know, but it’s a fun story. The illustrations appear to be pen and ink drawings and they are charming.

The works of Wanda Gag are at the Whitney Museum of American Art March - December 2024. 

Jazz on a Saturday Night (2007)

 Jazz on a Saturday Night  by Leo & Diane Dillon is a powerfully succinct rhyme that invites readers into the emotional world of jazz music. The illustrations are suitable for students of any age. An introduction at the beginning of the book and thumbnail biographies at the back of the book add a nonfiction component to the book.

Jazz greats gather to heat up a Saturday night with some cool jazz: Miles Davis on trumpet, Max Roach on drums, Charlie Parker and John Coltrane on sax, Thelonious Monk on piano, a guest guitarist, Stanley Clark on bass, and Ella Fitzgerald singing bebop. This book begs readers to learn more about these master musicians.

Young readers will see the audience’s joyful response to the music. Older readers can venture more deeply into emotional territory with conversation about how jazz fills the soul. Music enthusiasts will know better than I how to take full advantage of this marvelous book.

This book is read aloud online by Patrick Thames.

My Picture Book Talk lesson for this story is here.