Celebrating 24th November - Happy Birthday (with fairy bread)

Image Source: Sydney Morning Herald

It is Fairy Bread Day!

Make a plate of Fairy Bread and sit down with the young children in your family and 

READ this book - it is simple perfect right to the last sentence!

This one is long out of print but Bob the Builder by Emily Rodda is so much fun to read aloud 

(I almost know parts of the text off by heart) and the illustrations are fabulous by Craig Smith

Check out this post from Kinderbookswitheverything

The Birthday of Frances Hodgson Burnett is 24th November - she wrote one of my favourite books The Secret Garden. She also wrote A Little Princess (I talk about that in this post).

The Secret Garden

The author of Pinocchio Carlo Carllodi was born on 24th November, 1826.

Author Mordecai Gerstein who wrote the Jacob Two Two series also has a birthday.

Jacob Two Two meets the Hooded Fang was one of the very first book I read aloud to my Grade Three class in my first school back in 1984. I also own a cassette tape of the story! I might reread it over the coming weeks. The Book Wrangler posted an image of a calendar with author birthdays. 

Gail Gibbons (1944) is on 24th November. I had not heard of her, but my friend has several of her nonfiction books in the library - she was an early creator of illustrated nonfiction and has produced hundreds of titles. She even has two books from long ago about Birthdays!

Gail Gibbons’s books are particularly accurate because she goes right to the source when researching a topic. She has been on the seventeenth floor of a skyscraper in progress, has spoken with truck drivers about the workings of their rigs, has dismantled every clock in her home, and would have donned scuba diving gear to research a sunken ship had the sea waters not been too turbulent. Gail says "I had a lot of ‘whys’ when I was a child. I guess I still do."

These are her recent Board Books

I think I need to FIND this one!

I have a Pinterest of Birthday picture books and a Pinterest of birthday card images. Here is a previous post about the topic of Happy Birthday and a few of my favourite Happy Birthday books to share:

Happy Birthday Moon

Billy's Bucket

Where does Thursday go?

Sometimes Cake

Happy Birthday

Yes, it is my Birthday so let's celebrate with some Happy Birthday picture books!

Happy Birthday, Moon

Blue Kangaroo!

David McKee

Tacky the Penguin

Melrose and Croc: A hero's Birthday

Sometimes Cake

Where does Thursday go?

Billy's Bucket

Bread and Jam for Frances

There's a Hippopotamus on our roof eating cake

A library book for Bear

Carmela full of wishes

The Birthday Invitation

Picture Book Month Day 24

"One night bear looked up at the sky and thought, wouldn't it be nice 

to give the moon a birthday present."

Happy Birthday Moon is my book today for Picture Book Month and, well yes, today it is actually Happy Birthday to me too!  Happy Birthday Moon was first published in 1982. It is one book from the series about Moonbear by Frank Asch. I even own the toy! AND yes you can still buy some books from this series although the paperback editions are a little expensive here in Australia.

I have read Happy Birthday Moon to hundreds of Kindergarten children. Most listeners do catch on to the echo early in the story but I delight in watching other children gradually work out the magic in this book. On the nights when we have a full moon (I can see this out of my kitchen window) I often have a little chat with the moon just as Moonbear does in this story.  I love his kind spirit and his generous efforts to give the moon exactly the right birthday gift. This book is simply perfect to read aloud to children aged 3+.

Here is a video of the whole book (it is a little rushed).  Read more about Skyfire here. 

The Birthday Invitation by Lucy Rowland illustrated by Laura Hughes

Ella is having a birthday party. She writes her invitations and sets off to deliver them but one invitation falls out of her bag. Ella has no idea about the journey her invitation takes until everyone turns up at her house for the party!

Everyone - a wizard; some pirates; a parrot; the princess; a knight; a pilot; and finally it reaches her friend. How did all of these characters end up reading the misplaced invitation?

If you read this book with a young child there will be a lot to discuss beginning with the information Ella did not include on her invitation. Here is it what it says

"Invitation - Please come to my birthday part love Ella."

Putting the missing details aside this is an imaginative story with a happy ending.

The Birthday Invitation is one of those magical books that makes you smile and feel happy inside. With a fabulous story and impeccable rhyme, I highly recommend adding this one to your (or a friend's) storybook collection. Kids' Book Review

Here is an activity pack from Bloomsbury to use with this book. Laura Hughes from Hastings UK, has a delightful illustration style. I have a Pinterest collection of Birthday books. Here are some favourites:

Melrose and Croc: A Hero's Birthday by Emma Chichester Clark

 

Have you met Melrose (the yellow dog) and his friend Croc (a small green crocodile)?  A Hero's Birthday is the sixth story in this charming series. The first book is set at Christmas. Take a look at Emma Chichester Clark's web pages.

Melrose has plans for a wonderful birthday to his friend Croc. He has prepared all the presents but he wants to include one more perfect surprise - a fresh fish for breakfast. Melrose sets off in a small row boat. He has not noticed "how black the sea was, or how dark the sky had become."

Back at home Croc waits for Melrose. When his good friend does not arrive, Croc sets off to look for him. By now the storm is raging.  Down at the harbour Croc meets Pierre, the boat owner. Out in the stormy sea he sees a tiny boat with a yellow dog inside it. The lifeboat sets off to rescue Melrose but just as they arrive a huge wave sweeps Melrose into the sea. Croc does not hesitate - he dives into the wild waves to save his friend. Croc is a hero!

"A real hero ... And a true friend."

Melrose and Croc Friends for Life

Melrose and Croc Christmas

Melrose and Croc Heros

Melrose and Croc Find a Smile

Melrose and Croc Go to Town

Melrose and Croc Beside the Sea

Sometimes Cake by Edwina Wyatt illustrated by Tamsin Ainslie

Audrey finds Lion. He has a balloon. It is not his birthday. It is not Audrey's birthday but they sing the birthday song anyway. On Tuesday Audrey finds Lion again. He has a delicious looking cake. Audrey asks about the celebration. Lion explains he is celebrating Tuesdays and also coconut. The friends sit down to enjoy a slice of cake (the icing is coconut - yum).

The story pattern continues. Lion is wearing a hat and celebrating orange and yellow and Audrey suggests they could add in purple. Then comes one powerful word:

"The next time Audrey found Lion, he didn't have a balloon or a cake. He wasn't wearing a hat. 'What are you celebrating?' said Audrey. 'Nothing,' sniffed Lion. Today is just an ordinary day." 

Sniffed!! - lion is sad. He looks sad in the illustration on the next page. BUT our Audrey is a problem solver. She creates the best celebration ever - a celebration of ordinary days and lions. 

The tone of this book feels a little like Winnie the Pooh's wisdom.

Just before this Walker book was released a friend sent me the title knowing I am a huge fan of cakes! With all the story elements which are perfect for preschoolers and perfect to read aloud features such as  patterns, an emotional arc, bright and lively illustrations, and a little girl who could be your friend, I just have to give this book five stars. I also like the look of the cake on the title page. 

I predict this book will reach the 2021 CBCA Notable list and Early Childhood short list - yes it is that good. Fingers crossed for Edwina Wyatt and Tamsin.  I did make this prediction back in 2016 about In the Evening and I was wrong - let's hope I don't jinx Sometimes Cake.

Make sure you look at all of the socks worn by Audrey. They are a good way to mark the passing of time but also they are intriguing. Audrey likes to wear odd socks that don't match just like many preschool aged children, but one sock is missing. I have searched high and low but I cannot find her red and white striped sock in the final scene. Can you?

Here are the author and illustrator web sites.

I would pair this book with these:

Where does Thursday Go?