I was thrilled to recently discover Hyewon Yum’s newest book, Toto, and order it for my library. This charming title covers a topic rarely seen in picture books: birthmarks. The unnamed narrator of this book has a pink birthmark on her forehead she refers to as “Toto.” Family and strangers …
SARA: In honor of 2025, how about a book celebrating a new year’s tradition? In Legendary Cakes, written and illustrated by Kerisa Greene, a pair of siblings spend Tết, the Vietnamese New Year, with their grandparents. The evening before, they prepare bánh chưng, a dish of leaf-wrapped mung beans, rice, …
One of my favorite things about Hanukkah is the way it meets the darkest time of the year with light. Here in the northern hemisphere, the days are short, the nights are long, and tonight, the third night of Hanukkah, I am adding another candle to my hanukkiah. Outside it …
As the fall migration comes to a close in New York City, I am loving Springtime Storks by Carol Joy Munro and Chelsea O’Byrne. In this lyrical tale of love and resilience, a flock of storks is migrating to warmer climates when Katerina is wounded by a hunter. Her mate, …
In Abuelita’s Gift: A Día de Muertos Story, written by Mariana Ríos Ramírez and illustrated by Sara Palacios, Julieta is excited for Abuelita’s spirit to visit on Día de Muertos. She is determined to find the perfect gift to honor Abuelita and to show how much she misses her. However, …
SARA: In Mixed-Up Mooncakes, written by Christina Matula and Erica Lyons and illustrated by Tracy Subisak, Ruby gets ready for the Mid-Autumn Festival with her nainai and Sukkot with her zayde. Told in an appealing voice and adorable watercolor and pastel illustrations, Ruby takes the reader from her yard to …
It takes about 4 hours to make a challah and about 6 years to make a book about one. At least this was my experience for my most recent picture book, Challah for Shabbat Tonight. Below is a behind-the-scenes look at my sometimes-messy writing kitchen, plus a GIVEAWAY! Recipe timelines …
Seeker of Truth: Kailash Satyarthi’s Fight to End Child Labor by Srividhya Venkat and Danica da Silva Pereira is a new picture biography detailing the work of the Indian children’s rights activist. Readers begin our look at Satyarthi’s life with a story in a story. As a young child, Satyarthi …
“Sara!” a voice called across the exhibit floor of the ALA Annual Conference a couple weeks ago. I looked around for a colleague or friend, but instead found a stranger. She handed me a hot pink ribbon to stick on my attendee badge boldly printed with “THE SARA CLUB.” Also …
While I love biographies, and teachers sometimes check them out for lessons, this part of the library collection has not been particularly popular with my students. They do, however, love sports books, whether of the fun facts variety, odes to favorite local teams, or photo-heavy manuals. A few weeks ago, …