Read Aloud – Unleashing Readers

Bound to Dream: An Immigrant Story by Charles Ghigna, Illustrated by Anna Forlati

November 5, 2024 by Kellee

Bound to Dream: An Immigrant Story
Author: Charles Ghigna
Illustrator: Anna Forlati
Published September 28th, 2024 by Schiffer Kids

Summary: A heartwarming picture book about Carlo, a young Italian immigrant in 1800s New York City, that celebrates books and family as it instills the values of heritage, perseverance, and the love of learning.

Transcending borders and generations, Bound to Dream: An Immigrant Story follows Carlo as he leaves his home in Italy and travels far away to New York City to create a new life. Carlo finds a job as a bookbinder and learns the skills of the trade, cultivating a love of books, words, and stories that he passes to future generations.

Featuring stunning, atmospheric illustrations depicting Carlo’s immigrant journey, this picture book is based on the experiences of the author’s great-grandfather. The uplifting true story inspires children ages four to eight to learn about their family history and how it shapes and lives on in them today.

About the Creators:

Charles Ghigna—Father Goose® is the author of more than 100 books, including The Father Goose Treasury of Poetry, The Magic Box, A Poem Is a Firefly, Love Is Everything, and Fetch, Cat. Fetch! He has written more than 5,000 poems for children and adults. He was born in New York City and has lived in Homewood, Alabama, for the past 50 years. Visit his website at FatherGoose.com.

Anna Forlati has illustrated several books, and her work has appeared in many international exhibitions. She is a collaborator with the Onus Radio Magica Foundation. Her book My Dad, My Rock received a starred review from Kirkus Reviews. Anna was born in Padua, Italy. She received her degree in contemporary art and a degree in film history at the IUAV University in Venice.

Review & Educators’ Tools for Navigation: This story of resiliency and the love of literacy transcends time and place. Carlo comes to a new land, and although he is faced with hard times, he finds something he loves and puts his heart and work into that thing. This book is truly a story about how books can change lives. Oh, and make sure to look for how color is added into the illustrations when speaking about book

As a historical fiction picture book based on the author’s great grandfather’s story, Bound to Dream is a great inclusion when talking about immigration into America, America in the early 1800s, or family history. (My son also just did a passion project on the history of books, and this would have been a great resource for that also!)

Discussion Questions:

What character traits did Carlo display throughout the book?
How did Carlo’s love of books help him in his life?
How did the illustrator share the magic Carlo felt when reading with the reader?
How did the author learn this story if he never met his great grandfather?
What lessons can you take away from this story?
Why do you think the author chose to tell this story?
How does the title of the book connect with the story?

Flagged Spreads:

Read This If You Love: Picture books about the power of books, Picture books about immigration

Recommended For:

**Thank you to Schiffer Publishing for providing a copy for review!**

Drawn Onward by Daniel Nayeri, Illustrated by Matt Rockefeller

October 22, 2024October 22, 2024 by Kellee

Drawn Onward
Author: Daniel Nayeri
Illustrator: Matt Rockefeller
Published October 8th, 2024 by HarperCollins Children’s Books

Summary: In this enthralling and emotional palindrome picture book by Daniel Nayeri and Matt Rockefeller, a young boy grieving the loss of his mother embarks on a lushly fantastical adventure that illuminates what remains when our loved ones are gone.

All alone

He was not so brave…

His heart needed to know

The answer.

This lyrical, heartfelt story a young boy who’s lost all hope braves the dark forest to ask, “Mom, were you glad you were mom?” Gorgeously illustrated, Drawn Onward gently guides readers through the depths of grief and provides comfort and hope to those who seek answers when it feels like all is lost.

Praise:

⭐“Magnificently illuminated, video game–like spreads by Rockefeller feature stone ruins, menacing dragons, and ornaments that give the pages a book-of-hours feel. Printz Medalist Nayeri, meanwhile, distills an experience of grief, imparting the importance of seeking time alone to relive moments of shared love.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

⭐“A touching triumph of artful collaboration between wordsmithing and world building. Nayeri’s text is sparse but heartrending, sparking large questions that drive readers forward and allowing Rockefeller ample space to construct an evocative fantasy world.” — Booklist (starred review)

⭐“A grieving young boy goes on an impossible adventure and returns, healed. The illustrations are so filled with detail that they demand repeat visits, which will prompt little ones and their grown-ups to delve into the ellipses and explore both text and subtext further.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

About the Creators:

Daniel Nayeri likes to read things backward even when it doesn’t make sense to do so. He is the author of Everything Sad Is Untrue (A True Story), winner of the Printz Award, the Christopher Medal, and the Middle Eastern Book Award. He loves letter-unit palindromes, like “toot” and “God’s dog,” and word-unit palindromes, like “Never say never” and “Fall leaves after leaves fall,” and if he didn’t say how much he likes and loves his wife and son, he wouldn’t be Daniel Nayeri.

Matt Rockefeller is a visual storyteller inspired by adventuring in the mountains, interpretive dancing with friends, and pondering the many wonders of the universe. In addition to drawing and writing comics, he creates artwork for TV and film animation. He lives in Portland, Oregon, with his family including a little dog that may or may not be a fox.

Review and Educators’ Tools for Navigation: This sparsely-worded text has so much to say. It has so many beautiful layers that readers can dive into. Nayeri’s storytelling is clear, even with little text, and Rockefeller’s illustrations are reminiscent of video games and epics. Drawn Onward is perfect for lessons on visual literacy as the text gives some guidance to the reader but the story is most clear through images. Students could could even write their own narrative to add to the images! And I also would love to hear a conversation of readers discussing the symbolism and theme of the book.

Discussion Questions:

What is the theme of the story?
Why do you think the author chose to title the book a palindrome?
How was the story symbolic of a palindrome?
What do you think the forest symbolized? The sword? The dragon? The dark? Did you notice any other symbols?
What strategies did the illustrator use to portray the narrative and emotions through the images?
How does this book reflect a hero’s journey?
How does the tone and mood of the book change from beginning to middle to end?

Flagged Spreads:

Read This If You Love: Journey by Aaron Becker, Zelda

Recommended For:

**Thank you to HarperCollins for providing a copy for review!**

I, Too, Am Here by Morgan Christie, Illustrated by Marley Berot

October 8, 2024 by Kellee

I, Too, Am Here
Author: Morgan Christie
Illustrator: Marley Berot
Published September 10th, 2024 by Second Story Press

Summary: The street a young girl lives on is made up of families from all over the world. Her family shares with her their stories of journey and struggle. Her own story begins here in this country, but she is sometimes made to feel she does not belong. She listens to her family’s voices. They tell her she will soar, they tell her she is beautiful. She listens and she says I, too, am here.

A multigenerational story of immigration, racism, and what it truly means to belong. Inspired by Langston Hughes’ poem, “I, Too.”

About the Author:

Morgan Christie is the author of four poetry chapbooks, a short story collection, and a collection of essays. She has won the Arc Poetry Poem of the Year Contest, the Prairie Fire Fiction Prize, the Digging Press Chapbook Series Prize, and the Howling Bird Press Nonfiction Book Award. ‘I, Too, Am Here’ is her second picture book and she continues to work towards affecting change through reading and writing. Morgan is based out of Toronto.

Marley Berot is an illustrator with over ten years of combined personal and professional experience. Her portfolio includes cover art for Neuron, graphic design work for the Toronto International Film Festival, logo design, and book illustration. She runs her own online store called MarleysApothecary.com. Marley is very passionate about her work as an artist, and this can be seen in every piece she creates. She lives in the Toronto area.

Review: The author shares that, “In reading this story, she hopes young readers will learn to see the ways our words and actions can affect others,” and I truly believe they will. I don’t know how anyone could argue that the beautiful family in the story should have anything but happiness. I also love that the author “drew inspiration from Hughes’s poem to write this book because she wanted to remind everyone who’s been told or made to feel otherwise how much joy and wonder they bring to the people and places around them,” and this is a message that all young people, all PEOPLE, should hear loud and clear, which this picture book delivers in words and art.

Tools for Navigation: This picture book can be read along side Langston Hughes’s “I, Too” poem to look for similarities, how it was influenced, the themes of both, etc.

Discussion Questions:

Why does the narrator not understand the racism that his family faced?
What character traits would you use to define each of the characters in the story?
What should you do if you hear someone being racist (or prejudice in another way) towards a peer?
How does the history of slavery and the Jim Crow south still affect America today?
How was the book inspired by Langston Hughes?

Flagged Spreads:

Read This If You Love: Picture books about multigenerational families, anti-racism, immigration, Black history, poetry

Recommended For:

**Thank you to Nicole Banholzer PR for providing a copy for review!**

The Light of Home: A Story of Family, Creativity, and Belonging by Diana Farid, Illustrated by Hoda Hadadi

October 1, 2024 by Kellee

The Light of Home: A Story of Family, Creativity, and Belonging
Author: Diana Farid
Illustrator: Hoda Hadadi
Published September 17th, 2024 by Orchard Books

Summary: A universal story about displacement, migration, and the many ways we find home, from the talented author-illustrator team of Diana Farid and Hoda Hadadi.

Nur has always loved her home by the sea, where water glimmers along a straight horizon.

But when Nur and her family are forced to leave, they begin a long journey to an unfamiliar place. Here the horizon curves and twists, and the moonlight no longer glitters across the water. For Nur, nothing in this new place feels like home.

Then one day, Nur’s mother brings her a new set of paintbrushes. Nur’s brushstrokes help her connect the place she’s lost to this new horizon, and she finds home again through her own creativity and heart.

The Light of Home will resonate with anyone who has ever had to leave a place they’ve loved.

From author, poet, and physician Diana Farid and artist Hoda Hadadi comes this introspective story about belonging and the power of creativity. For readers of Yuyi Morales’ Dreamers and Yamile Saied Mendez and Jaime Kim’s Where Are You From?

About the Creators:

Diana Farid is an award-winning author and poet. Her picture book, When You Breathe, was a National Council of Teachers of English Notable poetry book. Her novel in verse, Wave, was the 2022 Cybils Award winner for poetry novel and a School Library Journal Best Middle Grade Book. She is also a physician and associate professor of medicine at Stanford University. To learn more, visit dianafarid.com.

Hoda Hadadi is a children’s books illustrator living and working in Tehran, Iran. She has illustrated more than forty books for children and has won numerous international prizes, including the New Horizons Bologna Ragazzi Award and the Grand Prix of Belgrade.

Instagram
Diana Farid: @_artelixir
Hoda Hadadi: @hodahadadi_artpage
Orchard Books/Scholastic: @scholastic
Blue Slip Media: @blue_slip_media

Facebook
Diana Farid: N/A
Hoda Hadadi: Hoda Hadadi
Orchard Books/Scholastic: Scholastic
Blue Slip Media: Blue Slip Media

Twitter/X:
Diana Farid: @_artelixir
Hoda Hadadi: @hoda_hadadi
Orchard Books/Scholastic: @Scholastic
Blue Slip Media: @blueslipper & @barbfisch

LinkedIn:
Diana F

Review: Farid’s picture book puts the reader right in the middle of a family’s flee as refugees from their home and all their possessions. With the introduction of the characters’ lives and loves starting the book, the reader will feel the sadness and longing that Nur feels. It helps the reader feel the urgency and the fear. It helps build empathy for those put in the situation of being displaced.

But that is only one important aspect of the book. The book also highlights the importance and therapeutic properties of art, which is proven and so powerful. Nur uses art to help heal her feeling of loss and being lost.

Farid and Hadadi were the perfect duo for this book because Farid’s lyrical text blends beautifully with Hadadi’s collages to create a beauty of a picture book.

Discussion Questions:

Before Nur’s family must flee, how did Nur and her family feel about their home?
What are some reasons why families may be displaced?
Why is it so hard for Nur to adjust to her new home?
How is Nur’s new home different than her home by the sea?
How does Nur work through her emotions?
What are some ways that help you work through big emotions?
What figurative language does the author use? How does it add to the imagery of the story?
How do the illustrations add to the story?
Why do you think the author wrote Nur’s story?

Flagged Spreads:

Read This If You Love: Picture books that take on big issues in an approachable way

Recommended For:

**Thank you to Blue Slip Media for providing a copy for review!**

My Towering Tree by Janna Matthies, Illustrated by Ashley Wolff

September 10, 2024 by Kellee

My Towering Tree
Author: Janna Matthies
Illustrator: Ashley Wolff
Published August 27th, 2024 by Beach Lane Books

Summary: Discover all the joyful moments and adventures waiting right outside your door in this mindful rhyming picture book celebration of backyard nature.

In my yard’s a towering tree. It reaches high to cover me. I lie beneath the towering tree and think my thoughts, and breathe, and be. There is much to do and so much to see beneath the branches of a towering tree! Step inside a leafy backyard world where squirrels are zipping, bees are buzzing, the sun is shining, and a curious, creative child is noticing and absorbing it all. This tribute to the wonderful worlds that exist in a backyard invites readers to stop, take a breath, and appreciate the natural world around them.

“This book is sure to delight . . . beautifully written rhymes blend perfectly; the pacing is ideal for reading aloud. A strong addition to the shelves and an accessible title to add to nature lessons or even story hours about mindfulness, with its emphasis on simplicity and an appreciation of nature.” – School Library Journal

“A gentle appreciation of the nature around us, from the ground to the sky.” – Kirkus Reviews

About the Creators:

Janna Matthies is a picture book author and early elementary music teacher in Indianapolis. Her books include Here We Come!; God’s Always Loving You; Two Is Enough, which made the 2016 Bank Street list and New York Times Book Review; The Goodbye Cancer Garden; Peter, the Knight with Asthma; and Monster Trucks. Janna is a longtime volunteer with the Indiana SCBWI and provides editorial services to the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra for picture books supporting their Teddy Bear Concert Series. When she’s not writing or making music, Janna can be found digging in the garden, swimming laps, walking Juneau the howling Husky, or keeping up with her husband and three mostly-grown kids.

Ashley Wolff lives in Vermont and is the author and illustrator of more than sixty books for children, including the modern classic Miss Bindergarten series by Joseph Slate, and her own celebrated Only the Cat Saw; Where, Oh Where, Is Baby Bear?; Baby Bear Counts One; and Baby Bear Sees Blue. Visit her at AshleyWolff.com.

Review: In a world where everyone, even kids, are usually GO GO GO, it is important to remind how important stopping, relaxing, focusing on nature, breathing, and appreciating. Matthies’s lyrical, meditative words mixed with Wolff’s full page, colorful, and captivating illustrations lend to readers wanting to find the beauty in the world around them.

Tools for Navigation: Towering Tree is reminiscent of “The House that Jack Built,” so it would be a great way to talk about variations/retellings and allusions of nursery rhymes. It also has a great rhyming pattern that can be analyzed also.

The book also lends to taking kids outside then having them draw and journal about what they see in their backyard or a park.

Discussion Questions:

How is The Towering Tree like “The House that Jack Built”?
What type of rhyming pattern does this story have?
What do you see in your background/in a park when you sit under a tree?
Why is it important to remember the beauty of nature?
Why is it important to slow down sometimes, instead of go go going?
If you had a garden, what would you put in it?
What do you think the author’s purpose was for this book?
How does the backyard in the book compare/contrast to your backyard?
What word play can you find in the book? Figurative language?
What descriptive language did the author use that helped describe the scene?
How do the illustrations add to the story?

Flagged Spreads:

Read This If You Love: Nature, Rhyming picture books

Recommended For:

**Thank you to the author for providing a copy for review!**

Bear’s Big Idea by Sandra Nickel, Illustrated by Il Sung Na

September 3, 2024 by Kellee

Bear’s Big Idea
Author: Sandra Nickel
Illustrator: Il Sung Na
Published September 10th, 2024 by Carolrhoda Books

Summary: Fish always has great ideas for what to do! When it’s Bear’s turn to think of something, she promises she’ll have a brand-new BIG idea. But where do ideas come from?

The creators of Big Bear and Little Fish reunite for this sweet story of friendship, ingenuity, and a surprisingly epic adventure!

“A winning tale of friendship and creativity unleashed.” —Kirkus Reviews

About the Creators:

Sandra Nickel is the author of picture book biographies about the inventor of nachos (Nacho’s Nachos), the discoverer of dark matter (The Stuff Between the Stars), and the first woman meteorologist (Breaking Through the Clouds). She is the winner of a Christopher Award, the winner of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators Crystal Kite Award, a finalist for the Golden Kite Award for Nonfiction for Younger Readers, a Junior Library Guild Gold Selection honoree, and a Charlotte Huck Award Recommended author. Sandra has an MFA in writing for children and young adults and has presented workshops on writing for children and young adults throughout Europe and the United States. When at home in Switzerland, Sandra loves summer sledding, sploshing in puddles, and listening for ideas in the wind. To learn more about Sandra, and to download free curriculum materials and activity sheets, visit https://sandranickel.com/.

Il Sung Na was born in Seoul, South Korea. He writes and illustrates picture books, including A Book of Sleep and The Dreamer, and he also illustrates the work of other authors, such as My Tree by Hope Lim and Beautiful Noise by Lisa Rogers. Currently based in Kansas City, Il Sung spends his time teaching illustration courses and working on new books. Instagram: @ilsungna

Instagram
Sandra Nickel: @sandranickelbooks
Il Sung Na: @ilsungna
Carolrhoda/Lerner: @lernerbooks

Facebook
Sandra Nickel: @sandranickelauthor
Carolrhoda/Lerner: Lerner Books

Twitter/X
Sandra Nickel: @senickel
Carolrhoda/Lerner: @LernerBooks

Review: Bear and Fish are a great addition to duos in picture books, which is my favorite trope because with the dichotomy, readers are more likely to connect with either, feel accepted, and learn the lesson shared within the book. In this one, Fish is full of ideas, but when it is Bear’s turn anxiety about letting down Fish overwhelms her. But Bear, with patience and support and time to think, gets there and the day ends up being such a success.

Na’s illustrations are a great support for Nickel’s tale of supporting friends and finding creativity because they colorfully bring it all to life.

Trailer:

Author’s Appearance on KitLitTV:

Discussion Questions:

What is your favorite way to brainstorm?
Bear struggles to get to sleep because she is struggling with coming up with an idea. What are some strategies to help relax your brain and body and help you sleep?
How does Fish support Bear well?
How are Bear and Fish similar? Different?
Why does Bear feel so much pressure?
Is taking old ideas and twisting & changing them make it a new idea?

Flagged Spreads:

Read This If You Love: Picture books with friend duos, Picture books that promote brainstorming & creativity

Recommended For:

**Thank you to Blue Slip Media for providing a copy for review!**

Clouds in Space: Nebulae, Stardust, and Us by Teresa Robeson, Illustrated by Diāna Renžina

August 27, 2024August 27, 2024 by Kellee

Clouds in Space: Nebulae, Stardust, and Us
Author: Teresa Robeson
Illustrator: Diāna Renžina
Published August 20th, 2024 by MIT Kids Press

Summary: Real space science meets beautiful images in this lyrical nonfiction introduction to one of the most alluring wonders of our universe—the nebula.

Nebula means “cloud” in Latin, but these little-known astronomical phenomena are different from Earth’s clouds. They can be the last breaths of supernovas, spreading the elements of life far and wide, or they can be star nurseries, swirling molecules together to form stars and planets. In this gorgeous nonfiction look into the cosmos, the nebula narrator invites young astronomers to learn more about these immense space clouds, from how they form to what they do. Readers will be entranced by the vibrant illustrations, which incorporate real photographs of nebulae, and the poetic text, which reveals that we are all grown from scattered stardust. Rich back matter provides details about nebulae and how people have studied them, the nebulae pictured in the illustrations (listed as the “cast”), and resources for further learning.

Praise:

★“Lively language and gorgeous illustrations make this an excellent introduction to astronomy for a wide audience.” – School Library Journal (starred review)

“An eminently approachable introduction to an intriguing aspect of our universe.” – Booklist

About the Creators:

Teresa Robeson has been an amateur astronomer since 1980, with a special interest in cosmology. She is the 2020 APALA Picture Book Award–winning author of Queen of Physics: How Wu Chien Shiung Helped Unlock the Secrets of the Atom and other books on science and her own culture. She lives on a mini-farm in southern Indiana. To download a free curriculum guide, and to learn more, visit teresarobeson.com.

Diāna Renžina studied design and worked at several creative agencies before becoming a full-time illustrator and digital designer. She lives in Riga, Latvia, a city of cobbled streets, pine forest, Art Nouveau architecture, and the cold sea.

Instagram
Teresa Robeson: @tmrobeson
Diāna Renžina: @diana_renjina
MIT Kids Press/ Candlewick Press: @candlewickpress, @candlewick_sl
Blue Slip Media: @blue_slip_media

Facebook
Teresa Robeson: @teresa.robeson
Diāna Renžina: N/A
MIT Kids Press/ Candlewick Press: @CandlewickPressBooks
Blue Slip Media: @blue-slip-media

Twitter/X
Teresa Robeson: N/A
Diāna Renžina: N/A
MIT Kids Press / Candlewick Press: @candlewick
Blue Slip Media: @blueslipper & @barbfisch

Pinterest
Teresa Robeson: Teresa Ho Robeson

TikTok
MIT Kids Press/ Candlewick Press: @candlewickpress

Review: I am truly blown away by this picture book. I loved the idea of nebula speaking to a young girl and sharing secrets and the illustrations were as stellar and vase and beautiful as the idea of a nebula. The author’s informational text skills are on point, explaining quite complex concepts so well, and just so lyrical which makes the book a pleasure to read as well as informative. Just like the author mixed purposes, the illustrator did as well. The art in this book is edge to edge, full of color, and just embodies the ideas and lyricism of the book.

And then the backmatter goes even deeper for anyone interested in learning even more. The backmatter is accessible but also detailed.

Tools for Navigation: This book is built for a compare and contrast around clouds and nebula. What a perfect way to combine a reading comprehension skill and science!

Discussion Questions:

How are nebula and clouds similar? Different?
Why were nebula’s named a word meaning cloud in the first place?
How did the illustration style add to the story?
Why do you think the author chose to have nebula be the narrator?
What else would you like to learn about nebulas?
Look at the nebulas in the backmatter. Are there any other animals you picture when looking at the images?
Although this book is mostly nonfiction, some may argue it is speculative because of magical realism. Why would they say that? What do you think?

Flagged Spreads:

Read This If You Love: Space, Science

Recommended For:

**Thank you to Blue Slip Media for providing a copy for review!!**