Amy Husband Archives -

Reasons to be Thankful – New Thanksgiving Board Books for Kids

November 21, 2019
goodreadswithronna
Ages 0-3, Board Books - Interactive Books, Children's Book Reviews, Emotions & Feelings, Family & Relationships, Gratitude, Holidays & Celebrations, Juvenile Fiction, Multigenerational, Thanksgiving

THANKSGIVING 2019
∼A BOARD BOOKS ROUNDUP∼

free Thanksgiving Clip Art

LOOK AND BE GRATEFUL
Written and illustrated by Tomie dePaola
(Holiday House Publishing; $7.99, Ages 0-3)

This sturdy board-book edition of the hardcover picture book from 2015 is great to share all year long. With just 24 pages of spare and inspiring text, dePaola’s peaceful, pleasing art takes center stage. The little boy on the cover wakes up to behold the beauty of a new day and the wonderful things that surround him. “Open your eyes, and see, and say thank you.” Children learn with each simple sentence and illustration to be present and look at each day as a gift. Look and be Grateful is a gentle and sweet introduction to mindfulness and gratitude which are never too early to share.

BE THANKFUL, POUT-POUT FISH
by Deborah Diesen
Pictures based on illustrations created
by Dan Hanna
(Farrar Straus Giroux BYR; $5.99, Ages 0-3)

Little fans of the beloved Pout-Pout Fish will be delighted he’s back, under the sea, serving up tasty dishes for Thanksgiving in Be Thankful, Pout-Pout Fish. Mr. Fish has invited friends and family from near and far to join him at the celebration. It’s a pot-luck dinner for which all of the guests are grateful. When the meal is over and everyone’s full, Mr. Fish is feeling especially thankful not only for the food, but for the full feeling in his heart.

Told in 12 full-color pages, this rhyming board-book makes a sweet addition to any toddler’s Pout-Pout Fish book collection. It’s also an ideal gift when visiting during the holiday. Dive into a copy and share today.

FIVE LITTLE THANK-YOUS
Written by Cindy Jin
Illustrated by Dawn M. Cardona
(Little Simon; $7.99, Ages 0-3)

I love the die-cut turkey feathers design of this 12-page board book. Inspired by the hand-print turkey art craft so many children proudly create at Thanksgiving time, each finger/feather in Five Little Thank-Yous represents a paper-cut illustrated spread devoted to a particular thank-you message. It starts off with “Thank you for this sweet, warm home, blessed with family all my own.” The four other feathers mention thanks for food, friends, love and “…most of all, I’m thankful to be the one and only, special me.” What a terrific and important message to impart to children at Thanksgiving.

T IS FOR THANKS (AND TURKEY!)
A Flanimals Book
Written by Melinda Rathjen
Illustrated by Amy Husband
(WorthyKids; $7.99, Ages 1-3)

Fab and felt-clad Turkey (on the cover) is just one of the adorable Flanimals animal characters in this 20-page cumulative concept board book.T is for Thanks (and Turkey!) explores themes of gratitude and friendship courtesy of the letter T. The story begins when Tiger gives Turtle some tulips in a tea pot as a gift. Such a lovely gesture! Sadly, the present breaks when Turtle sneezes. Turkey’s on hand to offer some tissues. In fact he humorously always wants to be included in the cumulative repetition that kids will love. “T is for Thanks and Tape and Thunderstorm. And Turkey!” Some tape mends the broken tea pot and Turkey’s wings keep the rain off Tiger while Turtle’s retreated into his shell.

It’s great how the friends get up to some fun antics that kids will relate to all while sticking to the letter T. Things get messy though when Turkey gets onto a trampoline with tacos given to him by Toad. That causes no end of trouble as you might imagine. But with caring, thoughtful friends, everything will work out in the end providing everyone (and Turkey!) is on good behavior.

This book provides many levels of entertainment and positive reinforcement whether it’s counting the tulips (three), noting with little ones how all the animals’ names begin with T, seeing what else they can spot in the art that might pertain to thankfulness and the letter T, and most importantly, seeing the kind way friends treat each other.

Reviewed by Ronna Mandel

Click here to read a review of another Thanksgiving book.

Best Hanukkah Books 2016 – A Roundup

December 15, 2016
goodreadswithronna
Ages 1-4, Ages 3-8, Ages 5-9, Animals, Animals - Cows, Children's Book Reviews, Hanukkah, Holidays & Festivals - Jewish Holidays, Juvenile Fiction

BEST CHILDREN’S BOOKS FOR HANUKKAH
A Roundup by Ronna Mandel

Hanukkah Delight!
Written by Lesléa Newman
Illustrated by Amy Husband
(Kar-Ben; $5.99, Ages 1-4)

An array of adorable animals including a bunny family celebrate Hanukkah in this cheerfully illustrated 12-page board book. Hanukkah Delight! offers a rollicking rhyming read for the littlest ones on your holiday list as it details all the joyous events leading up to and during the Festival of Lights such as:
Friends and neighbors to invite,
Ancient blessings we recite.
Gleaming candles burning bright,
Crispy latkes taste just right.

A Hanukkah With Mazel
Written by Joel Edward Stein
Illustrated by Elisa Vavouri
(Kar-Ben; $17.99 Hardcover, $7.99 Paperback, $6.99 eBook, Ages 3-8)

Debut picture book author, Joel Edward Stein, introduces readers to Misha, a kindly but poor artist who discovers a hungry cat in his barn that he names Mazel (Hebrew/Yiddish meaning luck). Misha share the little bit of milk he has with his new feline friend and together the companions celebrate the start of Hanukkah. Despite having no money to Hanukkah candles, the artist comes up with a clever way to light the menorah. He’ll paint the candles on a canvas! Soon he even runs low on paints, but not before reaching the eighth and final night of the holiday. Just then a peddler arrives and, as fate would have it, he turns out to be Mazel’s owner. But rather than reclaim his pet, this beneficent traveling merchant has a plan to make everyone happy while delivering some much needed Hanukkah luck. Vavouri’s watercolor illustrations, convey a folkloric feel while also accurately depicting Misha’s hand-to-mouth existence in an old Eastern European Jewish community called Grodno. Written with care, A Hanukkah With Mazel is flawless storytelling that is beautifully presented. It’s not only heartwarming with its surprise happy ending, but certain to become a timeless treasure for families to return to every holiday season.

Yitzi and the Giant Menorah
Written and illustrated by Richard Ungar
(Tundra Books; $16.99, Ages 5-9)

The townspeople of Chelm, a storied village from Jewish folklore, wonder how they should properly thank the Mayor of Lublin after receiving the gift of a giant menorah on Hanukkah eve. Although everyone seems to have an idea that befits the prestige of mayor, nothing ends up turning out well. Latkes that are cooked for the mayor get eaten before they’re even given to him, pristine Chelm snow melts into water, and a beautifully carved dreidel points Yitzi’s father Avrum in the wrong direction so that he never makes it to Lublin! While all this is playing out over the first seven nights of Hanukkah, no one is paying attention to Yitzi who believes he has figured out the ideal way to thank the Mayor. When at last all options are exhausted, Yitzi’s thoughtful idea is a treat for everyone to behold, especially the Mayor of Lublin. There, atop a steep hill, the frail old man had to stop when he heard music floating in the air from afar and dancing lights shone in the night sky. “Something on a distant hill filled his heart with joy.” Between the easy to follow story (its variety of interesting characters makes it a terrific read-aloud) and the vibrant water color and colored pencil artwork, Yitzi and the Giant Menorah is a welcome addition to the Hanukkah books available for families to enjoy.