The More You Give by Marcy Campbell illustrated by Frances Sanna

"Most of the gifts she gave the boy were ones that he could not hold in his hands. 

Like all of wisdom about how things grow."

"The boy's grandmother had a birthday and he gave her many gifts, like a poem, a picture, a crown and most of all his love. And she loved him back. And they were happy."

Until one day ... I guess you know what has happened.  Then over time the boy regains his happiness. His grandmother has taught to ask for help and showed him how to be patient. As the story continues the boy grows into a man and now there is a girl, his daughter, who loves her father and he gives her gifts such as his wisdom about how things grow. Finally, the tree, that was a seed all those long years ago, is now a strong with a branch that is perfect for a swing and this is a tree that will stand for the next generation and the next.

Publisher blurb: The boy’s grandmother gives him many gifts, like hugs, and Sunday morning pancakes, and acorns with wild and woolly caps. And all her wisdom about how things grow. As the boy becomes a father, he gives his daughter bedtime stories his grandmother told him, and piggyback rides. He gives her acorns, and the wisdom he learned about how things grow. His daughter continues the chain, then passing down gifts of her own. Here is a picture book about the legacy of love that comes when we nurture living things—be they people or trees.

Reviews are likening this book to The Giving Tree but that's not something I want to think about or discuss because I am not really a fan of that classic book and I think this book is so much better!

There’s a lot packed into the spare text, which spans decades of time to share how first a grandmother and grandson, then the grandson grown up with a daughter of his own, and finally that daughter with her son share their love. Kirkus star review

Here is the review from the School Library Journal.  Here is the book trailer. 

Frenci (Francesca) Sanna is an illustrator and picture book author from Sardinia, currently living and drawing in Switzerland.  Look at other books by Francesca Sanna. 

Read about The Journey here. 

Here are some other books by Marcy Campbell:

Kirkus Star review

The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street by Karina Yan Glaser

The Vanderbeeker family (Dad, Mum, twins Isa and Jessie aged 12, Oliver aged 9, Hyacinth aged 6, Laney aged 4 and their three pets) live in a brownstone on 141st Street Harlem. The family love their apartment home. On the floor above live Miss Josie and Mr Jeet an older couple who have formed a close relationship with the family. On the top floor lives the landlord - Mr Beiderman. He is a reclusive and angry man so the children have to work hard not to make too much noise in certain parts of the building. It is only five days until Christmas and this should be a very happy time of preparations and presents but instead everyone is sad and distressed because Mr Beiderman has told the family he will not renew their lease and they must leave their home by the end of December.

It is time for action. The children meet and make plans. They devise a series of different ways to make Mr Beiderman, or the Beetleman as little Laney calls him, change his mind. 

I loved the problem solving in this story and the team work and the strong sense of community. I also loved the way each of the children have very different personalities and different skills/strengths. Here are some text quotes to give you a flavour of this book:

"The Vanderbeeker kids glanced around at their home, a brownstone in Harlem, New York City. It consisted of the basement; a ground floor with a living room that flowed into an open kitchen, a bathroom, and a laundry room; and a first floor with three bedrooms, a walk-in-closet-turned-bedroom where Oliver lived, and another bathroom, all lined up in a row. ... 'We've lived here most of our lives ... It's the perfect home."

"The kids exhibited an eclectic mix of  physical characteristics and loved comparing which traits they got from what parent. Isa inherited her mother's stick-straight black hair, which Isa always wore in a sleek ponytail or an elegant French braid, while her twin Jessie had Papa's wild, untamable hair, which she never bothered to do anything with. Oliver had Papa's unruly hair but Mama's dark eyes. Hyacinth got Mama's nimble fingers but Papa's large feet. Laney was an exact blend of both of her parents ..."

"So I've been thinking ... that the key to winning the Beiderman over is to play to our strengths."

Hyacinth is crafty, Isa is a musician (violin), Jessie is a scientist, Oliver is a thinker and Laney gives fabulous hugs! Laney is my favourite character and I also want to eat some of the delicious cookies mentioned in the story and the bakery goods from Castleman's Bakery especially those cheese croissants. 

"The kids transferred the remains from the morning's coffeepot into the teapot; then Oliver dumped three generous spoonfuls of sugar into it and Isa added milk. After Jessie stirred it, Isa placed the teapot on the tray and Hyacinth artfully arranged the pastries from Laney's bag. To their knowledge, the Beiderman had never experienced the joy of breakfast in bed, and they were certain that Oliver's excellent idea would win him over."

This plan ends in a disaster - I just exclaimed out loud when the precious teapot tipped off the tray and shattered outside Mr Beiderman's closed door.

I do enjoy books that include maps:

Image Source: Illustrator Jennifer Thermes

I am very late coming to this book as it was published in 2017. I kept seeing this book mentioned in book lists and blog posts but I wondered if it was just too "New York" for an Australian reader. It is not - this is a fabulous book for ANY reader. I read the whole book, 293 pages, in one sitting. An Australian child will have no idea about a brownstone but you can see this architecture on the cover and there are terrific line drawings by the author inside the book too. Oddly Ms Yingling did not enjoy this book. You can read her plot summary and comments here. 

A heartwarming story about family and community that will appeal to readers who also enjoy an old-fashioned feel. Kirkus

This debut novel reads like a joyous, heartwarming Hallmark movie. The conclusion seems inevitable, but the journey will fill listeners' minds with unique pictures of a loving family. School Library Journal audio book review

Here is something fun - a character interview by Karina Yan Glaser with her character Oliver. Here is an audio sample.

Awards:

• - A New York Times Notable Children's Book
• - A Junior Library Guild Selection
• - An American Bookseller's Association Kids' Indie Next List Title
• - A Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Children's Fiction Book
• - A Southern Living Best Children's Book
• - A Nerdy Book Club Award Winner
• - A Massachusetts Children’s Book Award Finalist
• - A Georgia Children’s Book Award Finalist
• - A Bank Street Children's Book of the Year Selection

The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street was a debut novel for Karina Yan Glaser. There are now six books in the series. The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street; The Vanderbeekers and the Hidden Garden; The Vanderbeekers to the Rescue; The Vanderbeekers Lost and Found; The Vanderbeekers Make a Wish; and The Vanderbeekers on the Road.

The Vanderbeekers reminded me of the Hazel Green book series by Odo Hirsch and also View from the 32nd Floor which is a book I often think about and wish with all my heart had a better cover!

A Gift for Nana by Lane Smith

 

"Does your Nana need a smile?" said the moon."

"No, my Nana already has a smile as bright as the sun' At this the moon grew quiet. 

And rabbit wondered if comparing his Nana's smile to the sun was not something to say to a moon."

Blurb: A thoughtful little Rabbit sets out to find the perfect gift for his Nana. He knows she will love anything he brings her but Rabbit wants this gift to be extra special. As he travels on his quest, Rabbit encounters an assortment of creatures-a crow, a smiling full moon, a stickler (whatever that is), a big fish, and a volcano. Each is certain they offer the best advice but nothing they suggest seems right for his Nana. It's not until Rabbit reaches the highest peak, that he finds exactly what he's been searching for.

Oh my goodness! This is such a wonderful book. It needs to be added to every school library and every public library.  Oh and you might want to add a copy to your own shelves too. 

The Grandmother rabbit does look a little more like a great grandma but this is a small point since she is a rabbit after all. I read this criticism in some GoodReads reviews but I have quite a few friends who are grand parents and they have their own elderly parents who are indeed great grandparents.

I love the way Lane Smith uses different fonts and different font sizes. You will recognise this from his other books. I used an expression the other day "coals to Newcastle" and my younger lunch companion had never heard of this. Here is an explanation: Selling, carrying, bringing, or taking coal to Newcastle is an idiom of British origin describing a pointless action. Newcastle in the UK, and Newcastle here in NSW are places that already have plenty of coal and in this book Grandma already has plenty of .... No I won't tell you but you might be able to guess.

I especially love the opening page of this book where the young rabbit explains it is not his Nana's birthday and not even a "major hare holiday" but rabbit really wants to gift his precious Nana a special gift.

A cozy story that will transport readers to faraway places. Kirkus Star review

Take a look at the trailer. 

Here are some other books illustrated by Lane Smith. 

It's a Book

A House that Once Was

I'm just no good at rhyming

Lulu and the Brontosaurus

The true story of the 3 little pigs! by A. Wolf

Kid Sheriff and the Terrible Toads by Bob Shea illustrated by Lane Smith

The Whales' Song by Dyan Sheldon illustrated by Gary Blythe

Lilly's grandmother tells her about the whales who once used to visit the bay near their home. Lilly's grandmother explains to Lilly if you want to see and more importantly hear the whales you need to leave them a gift - a perfect shell or a beautiful stone.

Sadly, Lilly's old Uncle Frederick has no time for these fanciful tales. In his view the whales were hunted for their meat, bones and blubber. He is sure all of the whales are long gone. 

Lilly's dreams are filled with whales and so in the morning she drops a yellow flower into the water at the end of the jetty. That night something magical happens:

"Her heart was pounding as she reached the sea. There enormous in the ocean, were the whales. They leapt and jumped and spun across the moon. Their singing filled up the night. Lilly saw her yellow flower dancing on the spray."

Sheldon captures a child's wonder at these magnificent creatures, echoed, in a splendid debut, in Blythe's generously broad oil paintings. His whales- -viewed from near, unusual vantage points—are benignly heroic while, from dawn to moonlight, his sea and sky are beautifully observed; best are his lovely, perceptive portraits of the old woman's wise, lined face and Lilly's tousled curls and expressive eyes. Outstanding. Kirkus

The Whales' Song was first published in 1990 but I am happy to see a paperback edition is still available. This is also a book you are sure to find in a library. I have mentioned The Whales' Song in a past blog post  and again here but today I realised I have not dedicated a post to this richly illustrated text.

Dyan Sheldon was born in America but now lives in London. I own another of her books also illustrated by Gary - The Garden or in another edition Under the Moon. The Whales' Song was Gary Blythe's first picture book. 

Here is another book illustrated by Gary Blythe:

Dragon Skin by Karen Foxlee illustrated by Dale Newman

Look at this wonderful opening sentence:

"She didn't want to go home and that's why she found it."

This is a powerful opening sentence that just demands you read on (and on and on). What is happening at home? Is it something bad? What did she find? Who is this girl? Where is she? 

Home? Read on and see how Karen Foxlee is a master of word placement and choice:

"Matt would have come home and the screen door would have slammed hard and his tool bag would have crashed down on the kitchen bench. They would have flinched ... "

"Matt liked Pip in her room with the light off and the door closed so he could have her mum all to himself. He didn't like any competition. Competition made him angry."

"Now he was sitting drinking his coffee and scrolling through Facebook and stealing all the oxygen. Her mother and her had to survive on small sips of air."

"He was dangerous like hairpin bends in the road."

"Matt was made complete out of anger. He was an armour of anger and he had anger blood and he had a heart that was solid anger."

Now we know why Pip doesn't want to go home. Home is not a safe place. Pip knows her mother feels this too but leaving will take great courage.  In the meantime what has she found?

"I will save you.

I will help you.

I will fix your wings.

I was chosen."

Pip has found a baby dragon. 

I adore the way Karen Foxlee references Australia in her story. Mika tells Pip they might be bunyips at the waterhole. If this book is taken up by a US publisher I wonder what they will make of bunyips!

There is just so much to love about this book. The writing is powerful. The title is perfect and contains more than one meaning which will be revealed as you read. And this whole book is utterly brave! Karen Foxlee creates the most amazing tension in this story. Yes I've shared enough text with you so you know about Matt and his temper and way of controlling her mum but there is also the tension about Pip's friend Mika. I am not going to spoil this important story strand. And there is the little dragon himself. Pip names him Little Fella. He has come into Pip's life at just the right time. She has something to love and in turn this tiny creature helps her navigate this year of loss and fear. Little Fella also helps her make special new friends. I read one reviewer (Goodreads) who said summed this book up perfectly "So lovely, so heart-breaking and then heart-mending."  My only other personal comment about this book is that I deeply hope the terrible violence she describes in the relationship between Matt and Pip's mum was not based on any aspect of Karen's own life.  

I'm in love with this book. Dragon Skin is surprising, beautiful, unique. The characters are wonderfully drawn - tough but vulnerable, hurt but hopeful, damaged but strong. They've lodged themselves in my heart forever.' Katrina Nannestad

Dragon Skin will be available from tomorrow and I am certain it will be listed for many awards here in Australia and perhaps beyond. School libraries who subscribe to standing order services will receive this book in their book package but if you are in a library, and you don't purchase books this way, I strongly suggest you add Dragon Skin to your book shopping list NOW!  And YES this is a book for Upper Primary (mature readers aged 11+ look at the labels at the bottom of this post) and High Schools too. I am also thrilled that this book is such a great price at less then $20 for the hardcover. 

A friend from our IBBY committee sent me an Advance Reader copy of Dragon Skin and then the publisher Allen and Unwin (thanks go to Yvette Gilfillan) sent me the finished copy which is a beautifully designed hardback with an embossed cover. Take a look at this twelve page chapter sampler. 

Karen Foxlee books just get better and better.  Take a look at some here:

Lenny's Book of Everything

A Most Magical Girl

Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy

Companion reads:

A Game of Fox and Squirrels

One for the Murphys

The Star Outside my Window

One more thing - you already know I am obsessive about covers.  Here is the paperback cover for the UK edition of Dragon Skin due out at the end of October. 

The Quilt Maker's Gift by Jeff Brumbeau illustrated by Gail de Marcken

Over the years the King collected thousands of gifts. Some were practical, some were mysterious and some were whimsical. But the King was not happy. He was sure there was something, some special gift, that would make him happy. Then he heard about the quilts made by an old lady who lived at the top of a mountain. He demanded that she give him a quilt. When she refused he had her captured and chained inside a cave with a huge sleeping bear. 

The old woman was as wise as she was kind. She can see the old bear needs some comfort so from her shawl and pine needles she makes him a soft pillow. The King is now enraged. He orders his soldiers to  place the old woman on a tiny island, barely big enough for her feet to stand, in the middle of the ocean. A tiny bird lands on her shoulder and she makes him a coat from a scrap of her vest. The little sparrow is so grateful he summons hundreds of his friends and they lift the old woman off the island and carry her back to the shore. 

The woman explains to the King the only way she will give him a quilt is if he gives away all of his treasures. As each treasure is gifted she will sew a new square onto his quilt. 

"I give my quilts to those who are poor or homeless ... They are not for the rich."

It takes years and years but eventually all of his treasures are given away and finally the quilt is completed. 

"As I promised you long ago,' the woman said, 'when the day came that you yourself were poor, only then would I give you a quilt.' The king's great sunny laugh made green apples fall and flowers turn his way. 'But I am not poor,' he said. 'I may look poor, but in truth my heart is full to bursting, filled with memories of all the happiness I've given and received. I'm the richest man I know."

If ever a book might inspire you to take up quilting surely this is the one! There is also a strong case for allowing readers to pull the dust jacket off this scrumptious book because hiding underneath is a list of all the treasures collected by the king as represented by quilt pattern names.

I love this rich description of the quilt colours:

"The blues seemed to come from the deepest part of the ocean, the whites from the northernmost snows, the greens and purples from the abundant wildflowers, the reds, oranges, and pinks from the most wonderful sunsets."

I have mentioned The Quilt Makers Gift in previous posts so it seemed odd that I had not talked about this book here in any detail. This is a book I have read to my library groups for many years.  I found this video of the whole book which is really well done. Here are some companion reads:

The Greatest Treasure of Charlemagne the King

The Glassmaker's daughter

The Minstrel and the Dragon Pup

The Most Wonderful Thing

Each page in The Quilt Maker's Gift begins with a small quilt image in the corner reminiscent of illuminated letters found in ancient texts.

I do like the names used for some quilting patterns:

Windblown Square

Northwind

Snail's Trail

Baby's Block

The two books with quilting instructions inspired by this picture book are long out of print but they certainly look very interesting to me (a non quilter).

There is a sequel or actually a prequel to The Quilt Maker's Gift and I will explore this is a future post. 

In a Small Kingdom by Tomie dePaola

The old king has died. Who will now rule the Kindgom?

"It was said the old king had possessed secret powers against bandits and thieves ... "

This power comes from a special and magnificent Imperial Robe. 

In three days the young prince will be crowned as the new king but (as is the way with all good fairy tales) the young prince's older half brother makes his own plan. He wants to take the power and exert his own control so he plots to destroy the Robe. 

The Robe is destroyed but luckily the greedy half brother does this by slashing and and cutting the Robe and tossing it out into the wind so all is not lost. 

Pieces of the Robe are found by young children out in the fields. The wise woman of the village can see this fabric is important and precious. She knows these are fragments of the Imperial Robe.  There is not enough to remake the whole thing but she asks everyone to bring a piece of their own fabric. Treasured pieces of fabric - each piece has special significance for the giver.  They "sewed them together with fragments of their own lives ... They did it out of love for you and for the kingdom."

Bookseller blurb: In a small kingdom along an ancient road, a bell rings out. The beloved king has died, leaving his magnificent and powerful Imperial Robe to his heir, the young prince.  But when the prince’s jealous older half-brother steals the Imperial Robe, slashing it to bits, the prince can no longer rule—and the small kingdom is in great danger. Now the young prince must find another source of power and of strength—and he finds it in a surprising place.

A triumphant story celebrating the ability of love, community, and cooperation to overcome any obstacle. Kirkus

It is a curious thing that the superb illustrator Tomie dePaola did not illustrate this book himself but in saying that I don't want to detract from the splendid illustrations by Doug Salati. This book was  published in 2018 and sadly Tomie died in 2020. In a Small Kingdom is most certainly a book teachers and Teacher-Librarians could add to their read aloud pile. This book is out of print but it may be in a well stocked library. Here is a video of the whole book.  The blurb says this story is a modern fairy tale and I agree.  I would pair this book with The Empty Pot by Demi and The Quiltmaker's Gift. 

In April 2022 a new book by Doug Salati will be published: