Mid-Autumn Moments

October 13, 2025 By Maria

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.

Books of the Month – September 2025

October 1, 2025 By Maria

Books of the Month – September 2025

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. 

Sunshine to Schoolwork  September 8, 2025

Extras:

Strega Nona’s Autumn Comfort September 24, 2025

Apple Cider Days September 30, 2025

Apple Cider Days

September 30, 2025 By Maria

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.

Strega Nona’s Autumn Comfort

September 24, 2025 By Maria

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. 

Sunshine to Schoolwork

September 8, 2025 By Maria

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:

Books of the Month – August 2025

August 31, 2025 by Maria

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. 

Unique and Resilient  August 09, 2025

Time for Sharks August 17, 2025

A Roar to Read About August 21, 2025

Flowers, Monsters, and Summer Magic August 25, 2025

Sand between our Toes August 29, 2025

Sand between our Toes

August 29, 2025 By Maria

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?

Fairies, Monsters, and Summer Magic

August 25, 2025 By Maria

While stores and social media are preparing for Halloween and back to school, I am intent on enjoying what’s left of the summer with my family. Especially the time we have left before school starts again. Don’t get me wrong, I love autumn. It is probably my favorite season between the weather, gorgeous leaves, and that cozy feeling I get preparing for winter. However, summer has its own magic and that’s what I am focusing on today. I love flowers and fairies, and I especially love stories with beautiful art that combine the two. The books I chose to write about here are a mix of both.  

As Peter Pan asked in J.M. Barrie’s classic book, “Do you believe in fairies?” Well, I think you might if you read The Night Fairy by Laura Amy Schlitz. It is an absolutely charming middle grade novel about the mishap and adventures of a tiny fairy, named Flory. The story is sweet and enduring, and Flory’s character development took me by surprise. The illustrations by Angela Barrett in this book are even more lovely than her gorgeous version of Hans Christian Anderson’s The Wild Swans that I loved as a kid. I read The Night Fairy last summer and then aloud to my kids right after I finished it the first time. I would have absolutely loved reading it as a child. We enjoy watching for “signs” of fairies as the seasons grow colder and comparing our neighborhood squirrels to Flory’s friend, Skuggle. Do you ever watch for fairies in your neighborhood?

Another magical and fairy themed middle grade novel I read last summer was The Hidden Forest by Dainty Jensen and illustrated by Alan Baker. It checked all my childhood imagination boxes. There are fairies, talking animals, mermaids, a secret magical forest and adventure. This story is about a girl working through her grief after her father’s passing. The focus was not on Adelaide’s grief, but on her journey back to living and enjoying life in the present through the healing of her imagination. I also loved the setting of the book – her grandparents’ home in a small island town with a beautiful garden and spectacular town library. I really enjoyed reading this book. It sparked my childhood imagination and warmed my heart. 

This summer, my oldest son found a very fun and imaginative book for me to read.  He brought it to me in the library with a little smile on his face saying, “I think you would like to read this.” He was definitely right. If Flowers were Little Monsters by Claire Le Men is part field guide and part fantasy. It is translated from French and contains cultural background and history of each flower’s cultivation and use. After the factual information, the author describes each flower as very imaginative monster versions.  The illustrations are lovely. The monsters are creative and fun, and the information was intriguing. I learned things I hadn’t learned before, especially about the diversities within a species. My younger son asked me to read it aloud last night and we finished about half of it snuggled on a cozy chair together before bedtime. 

Even though the summer is more than half over, let’s try to enjoy the rest of it. What’s magical about the summer to you? Is it the laid-back schedules and beach days or the fact that you can go out without a coat or jacket? I love how time slows down a bit or at least it feels that way. We spend more time together, more time outdoors or traveling, and on fun or creative projects. That feels a little magical, doesn’t it?

A Roar to Read About

August 21, 2025 By Maria

Most people, including myself, think it’s normal for a kid to cuddle with a toy teddy bear, which is essentially a fierce predator. When my daughter was a toddler, her favorite stuffy was a teddy bear named “Bear-Bear”. Bear-Bear is still sought out for cuddles at bedtime but now is called “Bearby.” My oldest son’s favorite cuddly animals are all dangerous predators – from a python to a T-Rex to a shark – they’re all lined up on his bed. We know that a lion is a fierce predator. Do our kids always see lions as fierce predators? I’m not sure, but I do know that kids love reading stories about animals, predators included. Lions are common in children’s literature. Think of the Cowardly Lion from The Wizard of Oz or Aslan in The Chronicles of Narnia to name a couple. I’d like to share a few of our favorite lion picture books. Hopefully, you will find a hidden gem or two. 

How to Hide a Lion by Helen Stephens is both completely unrealistic and thoroughly cute. I wouldn’t put it past my daughter to try and hide an animal like this one day. The story may be a sweet fictitious tale but the emotions the characters go through are very real. My husband and I both enjoyed this book. We love how the little girl treats finding a lion in her backyard so casually. It made me think of when my sister was little and she would sincerely claim that she would go to Africa and cuddle lions one day. My daughter has absolutely no fear of large dogs. She will bravely walk up to a St. Bernard, whose large head is higher than hers, and confidently ask permission to pet him. It’s so comical in this story how Iris hides the lion in plain sight from her parents throughout the illustrations. It is a very happy moment when these two friends finally reunite after their painful separation. 

A merciful moment starts the well-known Aesop Fable of the lion and the mouse. The Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney is an almost wordless retelling of this fable. I love Pinkney’s artwork. I was saddened to hear of his passing in 2021. The watercolor illustrations are beautiful and realistic with lots of charm and character. I love how we follow the mouse around and see the world from her viewpoint in the beginning of the book. I heard Kate DiCamillo, the author of Because of Winn-Dixie, say in a podcast interview that children really emphasize with mice since they also feel small and vulnerable like the mice. Don’t we all at times? This story is communicated very well without words. This book was especially fun to read when my kids were very small. They were engaged with exploring the pictures and asking me to narrate the goings on. 

Exploring the details hiding in the borders of the pictures, always make a Jan Brett book fun and engaging. Honey, Honey Lion!: A Story from Africa by Jan Brett is a fun trickster story. As I may have mentioned in a previous post. My oldest son loves trickster stories. I think all kids do for the most part. But there are few now and then that really do not like the concept of one character tricking another. The greedy honey badger in this story is tricked by the unhappy honeyguide after he refuses to share the honey they found together. My kids felt certain that the badger would never be selfish again after the honeyguide’s trick. I see how the honeyguide helped teach him responsibility. I hope he feels gratitude for the lesson, but I wonder if he will have trust issues.

Like most of Jon Agee’s books, Lion Lessons is a great one for laughs. The boy in the story goes to lion “school” to be an officially licensed lion. What ensues is a hilarious list of tasks the lion gives him. The boy fails miserably at most tasks but finally succeeds to put all his skills together and earn his certification. The best reading of this book I have ever witnessed was when I walked in on my husband reading it aloud and then instructing the kids in the lion lessons. There were tiny roaring and pouncing people all over the living room. Silly and fun, that moment became a great memory.

From silly and fun to loyal and strong, lions in literature are a roar to read about. These books offer us opportunities to have discussions about mercy and fairness and just enjoy a laugh. After reading these books, would you want to cuddle with a lion?

Time for Sharks

August 17, 2025 By Maria

Apparently, not having cable can cause you to totally miss shark week. . .by a long shot. I thought it took place in August, but it was weeks ago in July. Oh well. It’s still summer.  Plenty of beach days remain, so let’s read about sharks!

One of my favorite shark picture books of all time is Shawn Loves Sharks by Curtis Manley.  This cute and fun book is about a shark obsessed boy, who takes his shark mania to loveable extremes. Tracy Subisak’s illustrations add to the playfulness and humor of the story. Shawn’s life is upturned when classmate Stacy is assigned sharks for a school project and Shawn gets leopard seals, dun dun dun! Shawn learns that seals aren’t as horrible as he first imagined and that friendship is more important than sharks. I love reading about Shawn’s shark obsession. This feels very real to me. My kids had, and have, their own share of obsessions from dinosaurs to Spiderman to corny jokes. I also remember having my own obsessions as a kid. Shawn and Stacy’s interactions mimic my two younger kids’ relationship as well. Especially the part when Shawn realizes he’s taken things too far and decides to do the right thing. Yes, very familiar. 

My kids are familiar with reading picture book biographies for fun and for learning. I usually also learn something new when we read them. Swimming with Sharks: The Daring Discoveries of Eugenie Clark by Heather Lang and illustrated by Jordi Solano is an awesome picture book biography. Picture book biographies are such a fun and engaging way to learn about historical figures. Eugenie Clark was a female figure in marine biology who worked extensively with sharks. Clark’s mother was Japanese American and her mother’s Japanese heritage and cultural focus on the sea partially inspired Clark’s interest in marine life. (If you are interested in reading another picture book about Clark, check out Shark Lady). Until reading this book, I didn’t even know who Eugenie Clark was. I loved learning about her and how her childhood interest in sharks nourished her career and life calling. 

Clark’s passion for sharks is inspiring. Several years ago, I met the author of Swimming with Sharks, Heather Lang at a children’s picture book festival. We had a short discussion about her writing and research process and how she chooses her subjects. She glowed when talking about Eugenie Clark. It was very inspiring to see how much she cared about Clark, science, and women in history. Another thing I loved about this book was that we learned about a woman in science and how important her contributions to the field were. I even used one of Clark’s discoveries about sharks in a fun competition with my husband last summer. We were playing a shark trivia game at a children’s museum and my knowledge of Eugenie Clark gained me the winning point. I hope you are also inspired to follow your calling and investigate your interests after reading this book. 

If you are interested in investigating more facts about sharks, I recommend The Shark Book by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page. This book is information packed with a sleek and simple design.  The book has clear and non-scary illustrations of different sharks with comparisons to show their size. The book covered general shark information including gestation and birth. It’s a great overview of sharks and the perfect book to bring into a science shark lesson or read with a shark story book. 

Another lesson to learn about sharks is their importance in our ecosystem. If Sharks Disappeared by Lily Williams is a great book to teach about sustainability and ecosystems. A young girl and her dog teach about the history and importance of sharks as the ocean’s apex predator. This book shows that sharks are not evil, but a necessary component to our environment. The author explains overfishing and extinction in a way children can understand. The book ends on a positive note about how we are all connected and need to do our best to work together and take care of our planet. 

Connecting learning and science with great stories is one of my favorite things. As an adult, I can’t believe how much I have learned from picture books, especially history/biographies and science picture books. I felt that the visual way Williams’ book showed the part sharks play in the environment helped me understand more fully the impact of over hunting. I loved Shawn’s enthusiasm for sharks. I felt that same passion taken to a deeper level when reading about Eugenie Clark. I expanded my knowledge of sharks in Jenkins’ book. What have you learned while reading to kids?