Little Lit Book Series: Night

Night is the #littlelitbookseries theme for January, with its traditionally short days and long nights.

Vietnamese American poet Bao Phi wrote A Different Pond to honor the struggle of his parents as immigrants working multiple jobs in the US to feed their family of six.  Bao’s father would sometimes take them fishing with him, before the sun came up—for sustenance, not sport.  Like the boy and father in the book, Bao would hear his father tell stories about war-torn Vietnam.  Bao’s father wanted him to understand things that had been part of their lives as a family and country.  Truly a beautiful and poignant story, with evocative language and art.

A Different Pond was written by poet Bao Phi, illustrated by Thi Bui and published by Capstone.

For more books on the theme of night, be sure to stop in at @littlelitbookseries throughout the month.  And see what everyone else is sharing today on Instagram with the hashtag #littlelitbookseries.

What Do You Do With a Chance?

New year, new perspectives.  Ideas, problems and chances are all things we encounter every day in life and sometimes we get mired in the same patterns of dealing with each.  But what’s great about the start of each new year is that we naturally crave change and we make more of a conscious effort to clear our minds and reset our ways and habits.  Anyone have any resolutions to share?  A lot of the time I find myself carrying over some of the same resolutions from year to year — two of my ongoing ones are to be a better listener and to ask better questions.

What Do You Do With an Idea?, What Do You Do With a Problem? and What Do You Do With a Chance? were written by Kobi Yamada, illustrated by Mae Besom and published by Compendium.  What Do You Do With a Chance? will be out on February 6, 2018.

the noisy book

A noisy onomatopoetic classic by Margaret Wise Brown, reissued as a board book for a new generation of young readers.

The Noisy Book was written by Margaret Wise Brown, illustrated by Leonard Weisgard and published by HarperFestival.

cinnamon

Despondent and desperate to hear their silent princess speak, the Rajah and the Rani put out word and offer a reward (which includes a green parrot and a field of mango trees) to anyone in the kingdom who can get Cinnamon talk.  Many come to the palace and make attempts—futile though thy are.  Along comes a talking tiger, huge and fierce, who brazenly claims he’s up for the task.  A clever, captivating and enchanting tale perfect for a read-aloud.

Cinnamon was written by Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Divya Srinivasan and published by HarperCollins.

Lagom: The Swedish Art of Balanced Living

Reading about lagom this last week-end of the year.  Meaning “not too little, not too much, but just enough,” lagom is the Swedish concept of balanced living.  Happy almost New Year’s Eve, everyone, and here’s to a thoughtful 2018. ✨

Lagom: The Swedish Art of Balanced Living was written by Linnea Dunne and published by Running Press.