Just in case you missed anything, I put together a list of the books I wrote about in October. At the end of each month, I will write a list of all the books I wrote about during that month. The post titles will link back to the original blog posts.
In autumn, my favorite kind of books to read are mysteries (a genre I actually enjoy any season, but especially in the fall). Years ago, a friend gave my kids a Sherlock Holmes style dress-up hat she had made for her children when they were small. I loved watching my kids wear that hat and run through the house peeking around corners with the oversized magnifying glass I picked up in a thrift store for their detective pretend play. I am always happy to find a child-friendly mystery I can share with my kids. The book I am writing about today is a simple autumn mystery perfect for little ones and the fall season.
Not only is this book an introduction to the mystery genre for the youngest readers, but it is also about apples, one of our favorite fall snacks. In Apples for Little Foxby Ekaterina Trukhan, Fox picks an apple for a snack every morning on his way to the library where he borrows his favorite kind of books, mystery stories. (There is a little hidden surprise on the walls of Fox’s home for any Agatha Christie or Arthur Conan Doyle fans. I loved finding this detail for the first time.) One day all the apples are missing, and Fox happily breaks out the detective skills he learned from all the mystery books he read. Fox starts to investigate and collect evidence. In the end the investigation leads Fox to a delicious surprise prepared by his friends.
One time when she was around four years old, my daughter engaged my husband in an investigation. I still have no idea what mystery they were trying to solve but they each had a tiny notepad and my daughter was instructing my husband to write down clues as they inspected different things around the house. I don’t think my husband knew what they were investigating either, but he wholeheartedly cooperated.
My husband and daughter’s investigation did not end in a solved case, as far as I can remember. However, they both had fun playing detective together. My daughter’s enthusiasm for the investigation reminded me of Fox’s excitement at finally having a real mystery to solve. I hope you will enjoy reading this sweet mystery story to your kids, maybe with a plate of sliced apples. Enjoy some fun mystery stories this fall!
“I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.” – Anne Shirley
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
On October 1st, I painted a tiny fall scene. The photo I used for inspiration was taken last year on an autumn road trip to my grandparents’ family vacation farmhouse. “The Farm” as it is referred to by my family, is especially beautiful in the fall. I was so happy I was able to visit last year and give my kids the experience of exploring the Farm, just like I had as a child.
The experience of painting that tiny autumn scene made me think of Anne Shirley, the heroine of L. M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables books. The books take place in the late 19th century on Prince Edward Island, Canada. Anne is a spunky orphan “accidentally” adopted by a pair of elderly siblings, who thought they were adopting a boy to help on their farm. Anne and her passion for life steadily become an inseparable part of their small community.
The thing that I love most about Anne of Green Gables is her passionate joy for living in the moment. There is a permanence to the joy Anne experiences in life, especially in the small everyday moments. Her thankfulness for October is just one aspect of Anne’s joy and presence. Anne doesn’t do things halfheartedly. If she is going to do something she fully commits to it. In the first book she even floats down the river in an old hole-ridden boat during a reenactment of Tennyson’s poem, “The Lady of Shalott.” The boat trip has a leaky end, but that moment demonstrates her enthusiasm.
Following Anne’s passion for the moment, I painted my autumn scene. It gave me time to pause and appreciate this season. Visiting the Farm last October was a great moment for taking in autumn beauty and slowing down to be in and be present in nature. This autumn I would like to take in the moment like Anne. As our beloved redhead heroine claims, I also am “so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.”
The moon is supposed to be especially beautiful on the Mid-Autumn festival which was celebrated on October 6th this year. It’s the Asian harvest holiday and a time for reflection and gratitude very much like our American Thanksgiving. In our house, as usual, life happened. That weekend things definitely didn’t go as planned, but when I stepped back, I was still able to appreciate the day. The moon was absolutely gorgeous Monday night. My daughter claimed she saw the shadow of the Chinese fairytale character, Chang’e, dancing on the moon, but sadly no Jade Rabbit. It was a cute little moment I shared with her.
Last year I shared several books that I had read with my kids year after year for the Mid-Autum Festival in two blog posts. Today I would like to share a couple of special Mid-Autumn festival books. They are both based on stories from the authors’ family histories and are different from the typical holiday explanation stories you commonly read in Asian holiday picture books.
I always love picture books that share family history stories. To me they take a moment in the past that could easily be forgotten and save it. They tell special personal stories and make them unforgettable.
Traditional mooncake press & and a Mid-Autumn puzzle I made with my daughter
The Best Kind of Mooncake by Pearl AuYeung is based on a family story about the author’s grandparents’ Hong Kong street stand. In the story, a little girl (in obedience to her mother) shares her longed for and very special double yolk mooncake with a sweaty, smelly stranger who shows up in the street market after crossing the border into Hong Kong. Her moment of generosity inspires other people on the street to share with the man as well. Years later a similar looking man opens a mooncake shop near the parents’ stand and comes out to share mooncakes with the family. The mooncakes are, of course, double yolk mooncakes, the best kind of mooncakes. It is so beautiful to see how the girl’s reluctant gesture of generosity creates a domino effect and inspires others to help which leads to the man’s later success.
Inspired by a story about her mother-in-law, Hanh Bui wrote The Yellow Áo Dài. This book with its illustrations by Minnie Phan was a special find because it was a Mid-Autumn story about a Vietnamese family. Most of the other books we read were based on Chinese and Taiwanese Mid-Autumn traditions. A little girl named Naliah is preparing to share a traditional Vietnamese dance with her school for International Day. When she tries on her Áo Dài and finds that it’s small she decides to go exploring in her mother’s closet and tries on her mother’s very special yellow Áo Dài. The dress is way too big and disaster unfolds. Thankfully, her mother has a solution and shares some very special family history with Naliah which makes her Mid-Autumn even more significant.
I love how these books both bring connection to the authors’ personal family histories. It is so important to share our family stories with our kids. It is very special when an author decides to do that with the world. I am a grateful reader for finding these books and having more Mid-Autumn stories to share with my family. I look forward to continuing to make new Mid-Autumn memories with my family and learning to let our family traditions evolve and change with our different seasons of life.
Just in case you missed anything, I put together a list of the books I wrote about in September. At the end of each month, I will write a list of all the books I wrote about during that month. The post titles will link back to the original blog posts.
Have you ever had that feeling when you want to laugh, but are in the middle of drinking? My most memorable apple cider moment from childhood was when my dad made me laugh at breakfast mid sip of a mug of warm apple cider. In spite of the cider coming up my nose, it is still one of my favorite drinks, besides tea, of course. Apple cider is definitely my family’s favorite fall drink. Picking up a gallon of apple cider at the grocery store is one of the first things we do when autumn starts.
Apple Cider Making Days by Ann Purmell is just the story to read if you love apple cider. Last year I used this book to explain why we can’t make apple cider at home. Since we experiment and make so many different things at home (like mooncakes) my daughter didn’t see why we couldn’t try to make apple cider in our kitchen. In the book, Alex and Abigail help their grandparents with their aunts, uncles, and cousins to harvest the apples on the grandparents’ apple farm and make the season’s batch of cider.
My daughter liked how Alex and Abigail were the youngest family members, but they still got to help in this big family project. The process of selecting the cider apples and preparing the cider is carefully explained in the story and shown in Joanne Friar’s illustrations. At the end of the book there is a section of “Cider Lore” with extra information for older children or anyone interested in learning a little more about apple cider. Ann Purmell, the author, dedicated the book to her husband whose love of cider mills inspired her to write this book. I always appreciate a dedication note with a personal touch.
This book definitely makes me appreciate all the hard work that goes into making apple cider. When we finished the story, my daughter said she was thirsty for some “cold apple cider.” She also understood that making cider in our kitchen wouldn’t quite work out. Store bought cider continued to be sufficient. I took that as a mom-win; we learned, and the “argument” was also over. Do you prefer your apple cider cold and refreshing or hot and spiced? I like both, depending on my mood and the chilliness of the weather.
I tried so hard to get this post out last week, but the unexpected arrival of a puppy took up most of my time.
Last Monday September 15th, was the birthday anniversary of American children’s book author, Tomie dePaola. I am sure I am not the only one who finds that day a little sad due to dePaola’s passing in 2020. Still, this is a good time to think about dePaola and his beloved books.
I first wrote about dePaola back in March. In that post, I focused on his Irish stories. Here I would like to share one of Tomie dePaola’s Italian stories and one of his most well known and beloved characters, Strega Nona. Strega Nona (Grandma Witch), is a little old woman living on a hill outside of Calabria, Italy. She provides cures for the villagers’ ailments and employs a young man, Big Anthony, to help with chores around her little house. Our family always enjoys a Strega Nona story. I think the kids favorite part of her stories is Big Anthony’s antics.
Strega Nona delighted readers for the first time in 1975, and she even has her own postage stamp. I have been enjoying Strega Nona stories since I was very small, and I was excited to find a few new ones over the years while reading to my kids. Since fall has arrived, I decided to share dePaola’s Strega Nona’s Harvest. This story, like all of Tomie dePaola’s books, is a delight to read. I didn’t discover this book until a few years ago and it now has a home on our shelf.
In Strega Nona’s Harvest, Big Anthony grows a chaotic overgrown garden, due to mishap on his part. Instead of telling Strega Nona, Big Anthony sneaks out at night to harvest his secret garden and leaves piles of veggies at Strega Nona’s door. My kids love this part, especially my younger son. The strega must find a creative solution to the recurring pile of vegetables she finds at her doorstep each morning. The harvest feast she hosts for the villagers is a beautiful ending to this silly and fun story. The last page always brings a smile to my daughter’s face. Little does Strega Nona know, the mysterious vegetables are still plentiful.
Even though Tomie DePaola is gone, his stories are still plentiful. For this I am very grateful; I still have more Tomie dePaola stories to read and old favorites can always be read again. Like Strega Nona, I’d like to be cozy in my home, wrap up in a sweater and cook a harvest soup, preferably butternut squash or pot of pasta. (I love butternut squash soup. It isn’t my family’s favorite, but they know an obligatory pot will be coming at least once every fall. I actually picked up a butternut squash yesterday when I was grocery shopping. It will be coming up for dinner very soon).
Last year there was a whole Tik Tok “Strega Nona Fall” aesthetic. It was such a big trend that the New York Times even wrote an article about it. Strega Nona definitely does have something to teach us about cozy comfort and being part of our communities. Please join me in having a hot drink or a steaming plate of pasta and reading a Strega Nona story this autumn.
Well, it’s come and found us as we tried to hide in the end of summer fun; back to school time is here. It found us at last. Since school is starting and there is no more escaping it, I decided to read some school themed picture books to my kids this week. We figured we might as well start the year with a laugh and some familiar stories.
The night before school started, we all sat down on the couch (even my 12-year-old) and read We Don’t Eat Our Classmates by Ryan T. Higgins. We have yet to find a book by Ryan T. Higgins that doesn’t bring us to giggles. On a regular basis, my kids and I will quote this hilarious story. The book is about a young dinosaur, Penelope Rex, heading out for her first day of school, with children. Penelope is a fairly well-behaved little t-rex, but children are her downfall, because children are delicious. Penelope soon learns that it is not okay to eat your classmates. The way she finally learns empathy for her poor slobbered classmates and loses her appetite for children is my kid’s favorite part. This is a silly book to share with kids who are feeling a little fearful or unsure about the beginning of school or anyone who can just use a laugh.
Starting our back-to-school time on a silly note helped us ease into the transition. Going back to school after a fun and laid-back summer is not easy for kids. It announces the end of one season and the start of another. I love the change in seasons (autumn is my favorite), but I still find the change hard. Back to school time is definitely hard for kids. They are totally not happy about the end of summer and open days of freedom. Changes are hard for kids and adults alike. We both need time to adjust to change, especially the little ones. I hope your transition from summer to school season goes smoothly with a few laughs for good measure.
Here are some of our other favorite school picture books:
Just in case you missed anything, I put together a list of the books I wrote about in August. At the end of each month, I will write a list of all the books I wrote about during that month. The post titles will link back to the original blog posts.
I can’t get through the summer without completing at least one beach themed blog post. We only managed to fit a couple of beach days in this year, but they were all delightful. One was a bit chilly, but the kids still had a blast and enjoyed the water while I shivered, wrapped in a towel on the sand. In spite of the chilliness, I still enjoyed my trip to the beach.
A trip to the beach can be a simple solution to a hot day or it can be a complicated solution, depending on how many sand toys you need to pack and how many bodies you need to sunscreen. If you love spontaneous beach days, this 2023 Caldecott Medal winner, Hot Dog by Doug Salati is just the book for you. Last summer, I took my kids on quite a few spontaneous beach days. We even went more than once a week. After doing that a couple times, they said, “No more beach days this week, Mommy. We’re too tired.” Hot Dog is told with very few words. Most of the story is expressed through the illustrations and the interactions of the dog and his owner. It’s interesting how different visual devices and color palates are used to show the mood and even temperature of the environment. I actually passed over this book the first time I saw it on the library shelf. It wasn’t until I listened to a Read Aloud Revival podcast and heard Sarah Mackenzie talking about this book and the things to look for in the illustrations that I went back and borrowed it. When I finally read it, the kids and I were completely delighted with what we found.
I love how simple things delight us all at the beach. It can be the breeze, the sound of the waves or the sensation of sand between our toes. I love how hard my kids play at the beach. It’s great to watch them bravely face the waves or make designs in the sand. They get so sandy! I usually remove at least half a cup of sand from my younger son’s swim trunks before throwing them into the washing machine. One time we were at the beach with my aunt and uncle when my son asked if he could please bring some sand home. My uncle glanced at my son, rolling in the sand, and said, “I think you already are.” The kids’ sand caked arms and legs always make me think of A.A. Milne’s poem, Sand-Between-the-Toes. (A.A. Milne is the author of the Winnie the Pooh books). Besides literally burying themselves in the sand, my kids usually always build a sandcastle or some other sand creation.
My kids can easily relate to the children working on their sandcastle in Jonarno Lawson’s wordless book, A Day for Sandcastles. The story is about siblings building a castle over and over again at the beach. Different things happen that destroy their castle. The tide comes up and a toddler wanders through, yet they keep going and keep trying to create the very best sandcastle. I love their enthusiasm for sandcastle building. I love seeing the kids being creative and the illustrations by Qin Leng are beautiful and fun. It’s an enjoyable book to read and it’s easy for kids to associate with the characters and their struggles and the beauty of a day at the beach
A little girl spends a lovely day at the beach collecting shells while visiting her grandparents’ seaside house in Little Houses by Kevin Henkes. My kids and I always come back from the beach with at least a couple of neat shells or rocks. When at the beach, my younger two kids often drop tiny treasures in my hands while they play, and I do my own shell searching as well. On our last trip, my younger son even found a tiny piece of coral. I am always filled with wonder at these tiny and surprising treasures we can find out in nature. While looking for shells and thinking about their beauty and uniqueness, the girl in this book muses about the world and nature. She calls the empty shells she collects little houses. It’s a simple story with a lovely message about wonder and the beauty of nature. This book is illustrated by Laura Dronzek, Kevin Henkes’ wife. They also made another lovely summer book called Summer Song. Summer Song is one of a four-part series of seasonal books they wrote together.
As we sing the end of summer song with school supply lists piling up, cooler weather coming in, and fall decor filling all the stores I am grateful for our beach days this summer. I enjoyed the slowing of time I experienced watching my kids play while feeling sand between my toes. Did you visit the beach this summer?
More Bookshelves Please 