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Hey friend!
Let’s get right into it!
3 kids books
Alithia Ramirez Was An Artist, written and illustrated by Violet Lemay,
including art by Alithia Ramirez
A sweet picture book celebrating an artist who died young and her love of art.
This one came from the conference I recently attended,
and is filled with art work by Alithia Ramirez,
one of children killed in Uvalde, Texas on May 24, 2022.
The story is written with the support of Alithia’s parents
and celebrates Alithia’s love of art and will make readers think about
how they can be artists too.
The book does not talk about what happened at Uvalde,
just that Alithia died and that her art and love live on.
Proceeds from the sale of the book go to the
Alithia Haven Ramirez Memorial Summer Seminar Scholarship Fund.
This one comes out October 10th,
and would be an excellent addition to any collection of books celebrating art.
P.S. I found this google doodle that Alithia did.
Eclipse by Andy Rash
The story of a boy and his father experiencing a total eclipse!
This one actually comes out today; I got an advanced copy of it at the bookseller conference I attended in August. We know this author/illustrator from
The Happy Book, a really great book about emotions.
I love stories that follow an adventure through to the end.
And speaking of the end, the back endpapers in this book
show when the next total eclipse will be: April 8, 2024!
And my hometown is right on the path.
We’re planning to go up and stay with my Dad to see it.
This book is vibrantly illustrated and a perfect introduction to what an eclipse is.
B is for Bellies: A Celebration of Every Body! by Rennie Dyball and Mia Saine
An A to Z that inspires kindness and self-love filled with wonderfully diverse illustrations.
Another one I got from the bookseller conference I went to.
I mentioned to the rep who had it at her table that I was taking back bellies.
My mom always patted her belly; in a playful way it seemed but she always followed it with talking about wanting it gone. In reality her belly was fine! I wanted to make sure my girls knew bellies were fine no matter how they are, so I pat mine and say, “look at Mama’s belly. It’s squishy and round. All bellies are great!”
After I told the story to the rep, she gave me the book, and we just read it a few days ago. I love the rhyming text, the illustrations that feature all kinds of bodies, and the overall feeling after reading this book. Whether you’re reading it or having it read to you, it’s a hug to your body.
This would be such a great one to start so many conversations about bodies.
2 books I’ve read:
Amazing Grace Adams by Fran Littlewood
All this woman is trying to do is get the perfect birthday cake for her 16 year old daughter, who’s not speaking to her…what could go wrong?
I love stories that take place over the course of one day.
This one does and has plenty of throwbacks as well.
Grace Adams used to be amazing. Maybe she still is?
But she’s not feeling so amazing lately.
And she knows this perfect cake will make her daughter’s birthday!
Only…her daughter is at her dad’s.
Grace’s ex.
And her daughter isn’t speaking to Grace.
Now, that may stop some mothers, but it won’t stop Grace Adams.
This book is funny, filled with love, grief, hope, and hard things.
I read it as an advanced reader copy, and it’s just come out today.
I think everyone can relate to Grace in some way. Give it a try!
Bookshops And Bonedust by Travis Baldree
An injured orc stumbles upon the quiet life that involves more books and baked goods than she ever thought possible.
Yes, I said orc.
I famously will not play board games that have orcs in them.
I just don’t like orcs.
Well, I like Viv!
This is the prequel to the hugely popular Legends and Lattes,
which I haven’t read, so rest assured you can read this one first if you want.
Except it’s not out for a bit, but you can pre-order it!
I’m not all the way though either, so am I cheating here a bit?
I don’t know, it’s me who makes the rules, isn’t it?
It’s a fun read and I’m a sucker for books that include bookshops and baked goods.
And I like the arc Viv is going on: from battle ready to bookshop ready.
I just finished a chapter where the bookstore had a successful sale
and it made my heart happy.
What do you think? Will you preorder it?
1 more thing:
I have started collecting Fisher Price Little People, and…it seems I can’t stop.
We play with them, and I had some of these sets as a kid.
I wish they would make them again!
A few that I have:
(these are pictures from Etsy so please excuse the arrows and hearts!)
We have more and I won’t bore you with all the pictures here.
But I’ve also bought some lots on Ebay for a few pieces that are missing…
and have extra pieces…
so I may be starting up a little vintage FP Little People Etsy shop soon.
and…GO!
Go to the comments and tell me about a toy you loved as a kid. I’ll go first!
See you there
and happy reading until next week,
Kathy Ellen
I loved Fisher Price "guys" as I called them but my favorite was my PlaySkool Holiday Inn - just stayed at a Holiday Inn Express in Mason City IA and they had one under glass in the lobby!!
Of course I loved Fisher Price Little People as a kid, but I also really loved My Little Ponies. I still have some of mine! I also have a collection of mcnugget toys from McDonalds...where they get all dressed up in halloween costumes. They are wonderfully weird and all have my initials on them so I think my Mom made sure all of her four kids got a set!