This week? Books for all your senses.
With a nod to nature: a textured board book (watch out for the cactus) to things we cannot see (hold onto your hat, there’s a breeze today) to where colors come from!
And a nod to creativity, ingenuity, and family: There are makers and artists, a party planner, birthdays to celebrate, and some mouth-wateringly delicious food that will have you wanting to try Cantonese food.
Here’s to a deliciously colorful week.
Board Book
From a fuzzy peach, to a furry caterpillar, to—ouch!—a prickly cactus, young readers will love feeling the textures in this book as they learn about what’s okay to touch and what’s not. From the familiar (a cactus or a stove) to the silly (a dinosaur or a rocket ship), this book is filled with playful energy, bright and bold illustrations, and humorous text.
Sam @ Little Cub Literacy – This is a great book to pair with any touch and describe activity at home or in the classroom, and I’ll definitely pull it out during lessons on the 5 senses! If you’re looking for a toddler gift this season, GET THI. It’ll look stunning on display and will be constantly requested, guaranteed. Glad to have a new book on my list of go-to gift selections, one which will be gifted often! 🌵
Fiction Picture Book
At school, the other kids are eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, cheese and crackers, and apples on the side. But Zia's always nervous about opening her lunchbox. Her dumpling and noodle dishes look different and smell different. She dreads lunchtime.
Then, during her birthday week, her parents pack her a different Cantonese dish each day and explain what the food represents: a roast pork bun to bring treasure, soy sauce chicken to bring success, and more. At first, Zia doesn't want to eat her lunch, but once she starts, she just may realize her food could bring her good fortune after all!
Brooke @ Goodreads – This cute story about having a “weird” home lunch reminds me of Geraldine Pu and Her Lunch Box, Too! [2021 CYBILS Finalist] Great stories for school and classroom discussions, as well as using with your own kids to help them get past the need to “fit in” and be the same as other kids. Zia learns to appreciate her culture and the gifts of each person’s unique heritage. Zia’s Cantonese foods are pretty detailed, which makes a great intro to Chinese culture.
Easy Reader
It’s not easy to enjoy a picnic when you have unseeable interlopers to contend with! In a new trio of stories for beginning readers, Max the dog and Baby Cakes the cat encounter a scare-happy ghost who has a run-in with a mirror, the wind at its blustery best, and a teeny-tiny fairy with a wayward wand who may have met her match.
Kirsten @ Goodreads – What do a ghost, the wind, and a fairy all have in common? You can’t see them! Kids will chuckle aloud as they read this story about these invisible things messing with the cat and the dog who you may recognize from some previous books by LaRochelle. The interaction between the book and the reader is unique and entertaining, though the story keeps its repetitiveness necessary for early readers. This book was fun and great for early readers!
Early Chapter Book
Priya is excited to plan her aunty’s birthday party. She will donate the money she makes to help the cutest endangered animal on the planet, the quokka! But the party is this Saturday!
With so many items on her to-do list, can she get it all done in time? Priya sends out handmade invitations, makes DIY decorations, and sets an orange-only snacks menu -- including pumpkin samosas! Will Priya’s very first party be a success?
Natalie @ Goodreads – This early chapter book is a great introduction to the format with its smattering of illustrations and short ‘n sweet chapters. And with its party-planner theme, this will surely spark the imaginations of many a kiddo.
Sandy @ Goodreads – Readers of any age are likely to find the characters, premise, and execution to be appealing enough to read eagerly and also to reread or refer to in their own potential diary-writing or party planning. The complexity of the content and the presentation style allow this early chapter book to serve older reading audiences who benefit from the simpler text and visual supports but seek content suited to a preteen interest rather than early elementary audience.
Nonfiction
Discover how color is harnessed from nature in this survey of dyes and pigments from around the world. Organized by color—from yellow to purple to red and more— Before Colors marries a lyrical core text with tons of informational material for curious readers.
In the narrative text, readers will encounter markers and artists as they source and process materials, transforming the most unexpected things into vibrant pigments and dyes. The sidebars offer much more to discover, including extensive lists of specific shades, short bios of colorful characters, and more.
Genevieve @ Twitter/X – Clever, yet folksy illustrations, detailed about dyes and pigments, lovely info about colorful figures from history and the sci of color. I love the experiments to try and the back matter!
Karen @ Goodreads – Author Pimentel and illustrator Safer have another hit on their hands. Last year I read Before Music and was informed and entranced. This year I am learning about the origins of color, and it’s fascinating. This book is oversized, but it’s worth all the space it will require on your bookshelf.