Big new titles perfect for the littles.
Except for being hotter, this June has felt a lot like May, April, and March. Much of the country is still (or again) hunkered down and will be for most, if not all, of the summer. If that’s the case for your family, and this year’s “vacation” will happen in the back yard, at least enjoy some good reads with the kids while you’re out there!
These three new picture books from Candlewick Press don’t involve world travel, exotic locales, or white-knuckle adventures. Instead, they each, in one way or another, celebrate the pleasures and comforts of friendship and discoveries made close to home.
Joy by Yasmeen Ismail (author) and Jenni Desmond (illustrator). The exuberant little kitten loves everything: red yarn, purple rubber balls, rolling in a pile of colorful clothes, and bouncing head-first through her fun-filled day. But when she “Bing bong/ding dong/crash bang wallop/bonk-a-donk/donk” tumbles down the stairs? Then she’s going to need a kiss and a cuddle before — what else? — throwing herself into her next escapade!
Gustavo the Shy Ghost by Flavia Z. Drago. Gustavo loves being a ghost almost as much as he loves playing the violin. But he also adores the idea of making friends, even if it’s very hard to do when you’re both shy and invisible. What happens when he finally gets his courage up and invites the neighborhood monsters to a concert he’s putting on to celebrate the Day of the Dead? Nothing much — until Gustavo begins to glow with happiness and the others can finally see him!
Khalil and Mr. Hagerty and the Backyard Treasures by Tricia Springstubb (author) and Elaheh Taherian (illustrator). Khalil lives upstairs with his family, “which was big and busy and noisy.” Mr. Hagerty lives alone downstairs. As the two spend time together — Mr. Hagerty explaining words the boy struggles to read; Khalil helping the elderly man recall words he’s starting to forget — they soon discover the sweetness of friendship, chocolate cake, and bringing “treasure” into each other’s lives.
