Water is water, books are books

Can we read? No. 110

Good morning!

I know some of you have kiddos who are already back to school or returning imminently. By law, Wisconsin schools don’t begin until September 1 or later — this is a throwback to the days when kids were needed in the fields, helping on the farm until the last possible point of harvest — but on the upside, we have 3.5 weeks left of summer (at least in the academic sense — no doubt we will have some nonsense 90-degree day in September, which I realize isn’t even hot to many of you but is basically face-melting here).

Yesterday I shared two beautiful back-to-school books, if you’re looking for some reading in that vein. I also wrote, once upon two years ago, an entire Spotlight On issue about children’s back-to-school books, if you want a whole pile of suggestions — including books to prepare for separation / addressing separation anxiety, and growth mindset. (I personally love a good growth mindset book, as it reminds me of the concept as much as my kids.) ⬇️

🛍️ I also have an accompanying books for back-to-school list on Bookshop.org, if you’re in the market to purchase any of these specific titles. (That’s an affiliate link, btw.)

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Home in The Rain by Bob Graham (2016)

Sometimes we don’t have to travel far to find adventure, and this sweet story captures that feeling perfectly: when Francie and Mommy leave Grandma’s house, steeling themselves for a long trip in the “bucketing down” rain, they don’t except to get washed up on the wayside by a big rig.

But that’s what happens, and they make the best of it — Francie notices all sorts of things she usually overlooks outside the window, she discovers small but amusing things to entertain herself in the car, and at one point, she and Mommy start talking about what the name the baby in Mommy’s tummy. They can’t seem to land on a name that grabs either of them until, closer to home, they experience a moment of grace, and, well, the moment itself names the baby.

Graham’s ink and watercolor illustrations are always warm and comforting and that remains true here, but the real magic is pairing these sweet images with the story, which offers the message that, among other things, we carry what we need with us, wherever we go, and the rest, the world provides.

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Water is Water: A Book About the Water Cycle by Miranda Paul, illustrated by Jason Chin (2015)

Speaking of rain, it’s just one of the many forms water takes in this engaging book by power duo Paul and Chin.

Less a narrative and more a paean to water — described gorgeously by Paul’s words and depicted even more stunningly by Chin’s watercolor and gouache illustrations — this nonfiction gem covers liquid, steam, evaporation, condenstation, fog, precipitation, runoff, ice, snow, snowmelt, seepage, absorption, and uptake, all in a skillful way that helps preschoolers to late elementary-aged kiddos understand and appreciate the water cycle. (Have you ever tried explaining the water cycle to small children? I was truly grateful when I found this book.)

Anything these two collaborate on, I am here for 100% (see their other title, Nine Months: Before a Baby is Born, if you like their work). I hope they write many more books together — they’re a fantastic team, and this title is a fabulous example.

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Something From Nothing by Phoebe Gilman (1992)

This review first appeared in issue No. 16

While retellings of this Jewish folktale aren’t uncommon, this one is uncommonly good. (See also: Joseph Had a Little Overcoat by Simms Taback, which is slightly different take on the same story, and absolutely delightful.)

The jist of the story is this: a boy, or a man, has an item of clothing — maybe it’s a coat at first — that gets worn out, and so he turns it into something else, like a vest, and then that gets worn out, so he turns it into something else, like a tie, until the scrap of fabric is down to a button, and then finally down to nothing, and all that’s left is the story of the life of the fabric.

It’s a cumulative tale (which are always remarkably popular with toddlers and preschoolers; I’m sure there’s some developmental reason for that) in general, but what makes this version stand out are the warm, vivid oil-paint illustrations, and the fact that instead of the little boy making the fabric into something new each time, it’s his grandfather who does it for him, weaving in just that little extra bit of tenderness and care.

There’s a coziness here, and a comfort — a sense that yes, you can always make something from nothing, especially if you have love.

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Baller Ina by Liz Casal (2023)

I received a copy of this book from Knopf Books for Young Readers — opinions are my own. Baller Ina was published yesterday, August 8.

Ina is great at ballet — she’s talented, she pours her heart into it, and she enjoys it. She’s also interested in and up for trying basketball, an activity she is not as skilled at, as the game doesn’t come as easily. Ina could let this get her down, or she could take what she knows and use it to improvise, applying her excellent ballet skills on the court to become, with the support of her teammates, a new kind of baller.

This sweet, upbeat rhyming story — complemented by Casal’s warm digital illustrations — is perfect for any preschoolers and early elementary kiddos who play multiple sports or are, perhaps, accomplished at one thing they love but not so much at another. The messages here are encouraging and uplifting for this age group: don’t give up even if you’re not the best; use the skills you already have to figure out how to do something new. (Though I’d argue it’s worthwhile for adults to hear this, too).

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The Foxwood Treasury by Cynthia and Brian Paterson (1997)

If you have a fan of Jill Barklem’s Brambly Hedge series and you haven’t already discovered Foxwood Tales, please stop reading immediately, open a new browser tab, navigate to wherever you procure books, and endeavor to get your hands on some of these sweet stories immediately. (If you don’t know Brambly Hedge, get those as well.)

While I’ve always thought Foxwood Tales aren’t quite as amazing as Brambly Hedge, that’s really only because the Patersons didn’t attend to the kerzillion small, perfect details Barklem did — which is a super nitpicky criticism, I know, but there you have it. What’s probably most important is the content — and endless charm — of the stories, and this Foxwood Tales has in spades.

I’ve written before that I’m not a huge fan of treasuries — I find them unwieldy to hold — but they’re lifesavers in situations where you can only cart along one book, like waiting at the doctor’s office, etc. This one contains four (of eight total) Foxwood stories — The Foxwood Treasure, The Foxwood Regatta (my personal favorite), The Foxwood Smugglers, and The Foxwood Surprise, each of which feature Willy Hedgehog, Harvey Mouse, and Rue Rabbit as they have wild adventures and engage in mischief and of course, come out alright, every single time, in the end.

Foxwood Tales are delightful, feel-good stories set in a sweet world that children (and their grownups) fall in love with and end up wanting to visit and revisit, again and again.

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Thanks for reading today! Wednesday issues are always free, so if you know someone who might like this newsletter, please pass it on! 📤

Sarah