February 3 – Black History Month

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About the Holiday

Marking 100 years of celebrating Black history, this year’s theme for Black History Month is A Century of Black History Commemorations and looks back to 1926, when Dr. Carter G. Woodson, a historian and educator, instituted the first week-long celebration, to today’s month-long observance. Throughout this time Woodson’s goal to show that Black history, culture, and accomplishments are all woven into the fabric of America has been championed and embraced by individuals and institutions that recognize the immeasurable contributions of Black thinkers, creators, scientists, educators, entertainers, athletes, military personnel, builders, business owners, workers, and friends.

During this centennial celebration, especially, when displays of Black biographies and contributions are being dismantled and historical records rewritten and erased, it is all the more important to stand up for and support our neighbors, to look around and see the beauty in the vibrant, diversity of our country. To celebrate, look for special events in your local schools, libraries, museums, and other venues.

Everywhere Beauty Is Harlem: The Vision of Photographer Roy DeCarava

Written by Gary Golio | Illustrated by E. B. Lewis

 

Come join Gary Golio and E. B. Lewis on a walk through 1940s Harlem with photographer Roy DeCarava as he captures this neighborhood’s people and spirit through his camera lens. No need to hurry to catch up. It’s just now 5:00, and Roy’s leaving work to begin doing what he loves best. “On the subway, he pulls out a new roll of film, opens the back of his camera, and pops it in. He’s ready.” You are too.

Illustration © 2024 by E.B. Lewis. Text © 2024 by Gary Golio. Courtesy of Calkins Creek.

At the stop, follow Roy onto the street where the air smells delicious, but you’re not stopping to eat. There’s so much to see: a boy drawing with chalk, an artist selling his paintings, and a woman taking a picture of a young boy. “Roy watches the boy, who’s looking at his mother. There’s a lot of love in those eyes.” “Snap! Snap! Snap!” Roy will tell you, “Beauty is not in the camera. Beauty is in the person.”

Everywhere Roy looks, he sees beauty. In hidden crafts of nature, in shy smiles, in the rainbow spray from a fire hydrant dousing boys playing in the street. “Snap!” Do you see it too? Follow Roy’s gaze as he watches people passing on the street, “some happy, some sad. Their eyes are like mirrors. Looking into them, Roy sees Harlem.”

Illustration © 2024 by E.B. Lewis. Text © 2024 by Gary Golio. Courtesy of Calkins Creek.

As the sun fades, there’s time for perhaps one more picture. Roy continues looking. Then, there, in an empty lot appears a young girl in a formal white dress with a flower behind her ear. Roy aims his camera. “Snap!” It’s time to head home, but Roy leaves you with one more thought to contemplate: “We’re looking for truth and truth is living, so we find truth in living.”

Extensive back matter includes an extended biographical look at his life from childhood to early jobs to his dappling in painting before turning to photography, as well as his own words about his work, a portrait, and a timeline from his birth in 1919 to his death in 2009. A bibliography and a list of museums featuring his work are also included.

Illustration © 2024 by E.B. Lewis. Text © 2024 by Gary Golio. Courtesy of Calkins Creek.

In his stirring tribute, Gary Golio invites readers to view Harlem through the mind, eyes, and camera of photographer Roy DeCarava—and by association, to see their own neighborhood and beyond with clarity, appreciation, and love. Golio’s spare, graceful storytelling is all the more absorbing for its simple depictions of the everyday, often fleeting moments that bring surprise and beauty to life and which DeCarava captured so poignantly. Meaningful quotes from DeCarava sprinkled throughout the pages further enhance the feeling of being present on one of DeCarava’s walks to listen to and learn from one of this country’s preeminent artists.

Drawing readers in to Roy DeCarava’s worldview are E. B. Lewis’s astonishing and homey watercolor paintings that recreate scenes DeCarava encountered in his walks through Harlem and memorialized in his black-and-white photographs. Working with light and shadow, subdued-yet-detailed backgrounds, and the constant of movement on the streets, Lewis highlights the subjects of DeCarava’s photos in ways that allow readers to see the beauty Roy saw. Each page invites lingering as you feel the suppressed energy of the little boy posing for his picture, appreciate the charm of a crumpled soda can, and hear the laughs of the boys in the spray of the fire hydrant.

A picture book that rewards repeat reading with new perspectives and appreciation for the large and small aspects of the world around us, Everywhere Beauty is Harlem is a must for all libraries and will enhance any home collection.

Ages 7 – 10

Calkins Creek, 2024 | ISBN 978-1662680557

About the Author

A visual artist, musician, and psychotherapist, Gary Golio is the author of the New York Times–bestselling picture book Jimi: Sounds Like A Rainbow, which received the 2011 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award. His other books, most of which profile important artists, include When Bob Met Woody, Strange Fruit, and most recently Sonny Rollins Plays the Bridge. Visit him at garygolio.com.

About the Illustrator

The recipient of a Caldecott Honor and an Orbis Pictus Award, along with many others, E. B. Lewis is the illustrator of more than seventy books for children. His Calkins Creek titles include Seeking Freedom by Selene Castrovilla and Lizzie Demands a Seat by Beth Anderson, which won Bank Street College of Education’s Flora Stieglitz Straus Award for excellence in fiction, along with many other honors.

Black History Month Activity

A Slide Show of Roy DeCarava’s Photographs and Family Photo Fun!

 

First, view photographs by Roy DeCarava in this slide show of some of his best-known work presented by NPR. Talk about the subject of each picture and the effect it has on you. Then using a phone or camera, kids and adults can take turns snapping pictures of family, friends, pets, special objects or the neighborhood. Afterward, share your pictures and talk about why you chose certain subjects and what story or feeling you wanted to convey.

You can purchase Everywhere Beauty is Harlem: The Vision of Photographer Roy DeCarava from these booksellers

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop

Picture Book Review

 

January 28 – National Blueberry Pancake Day

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About the Holiday

Are your favorite pancakes loaded with luscious blueberries? Then you’ve landed on the right holiday! Today’s celebration gives you the perfect reason to indulge, so find those blueberries tucked in the freezer or run to the store and whip up a batch of these palate-pleasing pancakes for breakfast or dinner! 

Thank you to Carrie Finison and G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers for sending me a copy of this book for review!

Plenty of Pancakes

Written by Carrie Finison | Illustrated by Brianne Farley

 

Topsy the opossum is planning a surprise “Welcome Spring” big pancake breakfast to welcome back her bear friend LouAnn from her winter hibernation. She’s already invited all of their friends and now it’s time to start cooking. What’s on the menu? “They’ll have berries with syrup, and cider to share, and plenty of pancakes, enough for a bear!”

Illustration © 2026 by Brianne Farley. Text © 2026 by Carrie Finison. Courtesy of G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers.

Topsy measures and pours and fries up five perfect pancakes. Whistling a tune, she walks away for a moment then hears a “clunk!” Turning around, she sees the plate is empty. She attributes the loss to hungry squirrels, and whips up another batch. Soon, she has “five perfect pancakes, hot from the pan. / Tender and crispy, and all for—”

Illustration © 2026 by Brianne Farley. Text © 2026 by Carrie Finison. Courtesy of G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers.

But in the time it would take to say “LouAnn,” this stack disappears too. Then another and another! At last, Tospy’s relieved to find all of her other guests arriving and ready to help. With so many bakers and a groundhog to guard them, the group gets to work. “Topsy counts pancakes: five, ten, fifteen, twenty. / Twenty’s a lot . . . but she’s not sure it’s PLENTY.” And so . . . they make more.

Just then LouAnn emerges from her cabin with a surprise. She has two new babies to introduce, “. . . but Topsy’s suspicious. / She looks at the cubs and sees there are traces / of pancake all over their sweet fuzzy faces.” Topsy doesn’t let on, though, and just makes a toast “to babies and spring” as the friends all share pancakes aplenty! 

Illustration © 2026 by Brianne Farley. Text © 2026 by Carrie Finison. Courtesy of G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers.

Carrie Finison’s recipe for a delectable story time contains all the ingredients kids clamor for—humor, drama, endearing characters, and the chance to be in on a secret right from the start. Finison’s rollicking sentences bounce and bound through the story with perfect rhythm and rhyme, and children will eagerly chime in on the funny repeat and clipped-off phrasing “. . . and all for—.” Plenty of Pancakes is a joy to read aloud, fun for kids who like to count, and a book that both children and adults will choose again and again.

Brianne Farley invites readers to this forest feast with her bright, delightful gouache and pencil illustrations that are loaded with personality and clever details (LouAnn’s alarm clock displays only pictographs for spring, summer, fall, and winter). Farley whips up excitement with action-packed pages where whisks spin, pancakes fly, the serving plate clunks, thunks, and crashes, and everyone pitches in to make this “welcome back” breakfast a blast. Kids will especially like spying the two little cubs that escape Topsy’s notice hiding here and there just within reach to gobble up stacks of treats.

Exuberant, warmhearted, and inviting readers’ giggly participation, Plenty of Pancakes makes a perfect gift and will be an immediate favorite in any home, school, or library collection.

Ages 4 – 8

G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers, 2026 | ISBN 978-0593700174

Carrie Finison writes poetry, stories, and books for kids, including the picture books Dozens of Doughnuts; Pigs Dig a Road; Don’t Hug Doug (He Doesn’t Like It); Lulu & Zoey: A Sister Story; and Hurry, Little Tortoise, Time for School! She lives outside Boston with her husband, their son, their daughter, and two cats who allow her to work in their attic office. Visit her at carriefinison.com.

Brianne Farley is the author of Worm Makes a Sandwich, Secret Tree Fort and Ike’s Incredible Ink. She also illustrated Dozens of Doughnuts by Carrie Finison, the Charlotte the Scientist books by Camille Andros, and No Buddy Like a Book by Allan Wolf. Brianne studied creative writing and art at Macalester College, then received her MFA in illustration from the Savannah College of Art and Design. She lives in Michigan. You can visit Brianne at BrianneFarley.com and follow her @BrianneHFarley.

You’ll also enjoy Dozens of Doughnuts, the first book in this series, which also stars LouAnn and her friends! Read my review here!

National Blueberry Pancakes Day Activity

Plenty of Pancakes Activity Pages

 

Kids will flip for these fun coloring and word search activities inspired by Plenty of Pancakes. You can download them from Carrie Finison’s website, here!

You can purchase Plenty of Pancakes from these booksellers

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop

Picture Book Review

 

January 20 – Penguin Awareness Day

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About the Holiday

I’m excited to be a stop on the blog tour for Zenguin just in time for Penguin Awareness Day! Today’s holiday celebrates these delightfully unique birds, a species in which both females and males share parenting duties, and their tightly knit colonies. The day also raises awareness of the need to protect penguins’ habitats in the face of declining populations. Scientists have found that penguins play a crucial role as indicators of oceanic and polar environmental health and the effects of climate change.

The Penguin Foundation was established on January 20, 2006 in Australia to address ways to support projects that make a positive difference to the environment in general and especially for the penguins and wildlife on and around Phillip Island. In 2020, due to social media attention, Penguin Awareness Day enjoyed a surge in interest. Now the holiday is recognized around the world. To learn more from the World Wildlife Foundation, visit wwf.org.uk. To learn more about Australia’s Penguin Foundation, visit penguinfoundation.org.au.   

Thanks to Danna Smith and Workman Kids Publishing for sending me a copy of Zenguin for review!

Zenguin

Written by Danna Smith | Illustrated by Sydney Hanson

 

Little Penguin had lots of family and friends in his colony and he loved them all, but they were a boisterous bunch—always sledding and splashing and throwing snowballs. Even his little sister, Pip, could be so loud! “All the commotion made Penguin nervous.” His heart would race, and sometimes “he got angry like a fierce Antarctic storm.” 

One day weary of it all, he yelled, “‘QUIET!!'” but the squawking simply continued. If only he could feel peaceful and calm like some of his friends. “They called it zen.” Penguin went in search of friends who could help him. He visited Blue Whale, Seal, and Gull. Each one had a different method for finding peace and staying calm. Penguin tried them all and with each one, he felt more relaxed. He felt zen.

Illustration © 2026 by Sydney Hanson. Text © 2026 by Danna Smith. Courtesy of Workman Kids Publishing.

One day, Penguin heard Pip cry for help. She had gotten tangled in her knitting. She was flailing and squirming, but this just made her predicament worse. Penguin rushed to help. He “took a deep breath in, and slowly let a long breath out.” He taught Pip how to do it too, and when she became calm, Penguin was able to free her. Pip appreciated her big brother so much that she knitted him a sweater, even weaving in a new name—Zenguin! Penguin thought “it was perfect!”

Following the story, readers find four easy mindfulness activities that children can do to recover internal peace when they feel nervous or anxious, or when strong emotions unsettle them.

Illustration © 2026 by Sydney Hanson. Text © 2026 by Danna Smith. Courtesy of Workman Kids Publishing.

Danna Smith engages little ones with simple language and sweet storytelling which acknowledges that even the youngest children feel the pressures and stresses of busy lives and raucous surroundings. While young children may not have the vocabulary to discuss their feelings, with Zenguin Smith gives kids and adults a way to recognize and talk about anxiety, nervousness, anger, and other emotions that interfere with enjoying life to its fullest. Smith then goes further by presenting mindfulness activities that are easy for kids to learn and perform to find inner peace both on the spot or as part of a regular calming routine.

Sydney Hanson’s adorable Penguin, Pip, and all of her other sea creatures invite children to Antarctica where, despite the snow and ice, warm friendships abide. Hanson cleverly fills her lovely, tranquil pages with “squawks” and “pips,” “thwacks” and “thumps,” and “screees” and “wheeees” that young and adult readers can have fun reading aloud to replicate just how loud Penguin’s noisy colony could be. Like Smith’s text, this also gives kids a chance to talk situations that bother them. Little ones will love copying Penguin’s moves as he learns techniques for finding peace and calm, and Penguin and Pip’s loving sibling relationship will endear this pair to all readers.

The length of the book is perfect for pulling off the shelf to calm a child who is experiencing strong emotions. It will also become a favorite recurring read aloud to reassurance children that they can have control over their reactions to situations they may find difficult. Zenguin would make an impactful addition to any home bookshelf and is highly recommended for school and public library collections.

Ages 3 – 6

Workman Kids, 2026 | ISBN 978-1523528660

Penguin Awareness Day Activity

Zenguin Activity Pages

 

Kids will enjoy slowing down and entering the zen zone with these three activity pages that invite them to  color and solve a puzzle with Penguin, Pip, and their friends. You can find a Zenguin and Pip Maze, Zenguin and Friends Coloring Page, Zenguin and Pip Coloring Page, Tips on creating a Personal Zen Space, and defined Zen-Related Words and Concepts on Danna Smith’s website!

You can purchase Zenguin from these booksellers

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop

Picture Book Review

January 14 – National Soup Month

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About the Holiday

On a frigid January day, there’s nothing more satisfying than a steaming-hot bowl of your favorite soup! Or if you live in a southern climate, a cold soup can be so deliciously refreshing. While there are many tasty prepared soups, in honor of today’s holiday, you may want to try cooking a pot your own. Why not check out recipes from your heritage, geographical location, or even inspired by your favorite book? Bon appétit!

Soup’s On Around the World

Written by Denyse Waissbluth | Illustrated by Chelsea O’Byrne

 

Denyse Waissbluth and Chelsea O’Bryne invite readers to pull up a chair at a communal table where people from around the globe dip their spoons into bowls of delicious, nourishing soup. Traveling first to Thailand, children meet people living and plying their trade on a river. On open porches—feet dangling above the water—in boats, and even from floating restaurants people enjoy spicy tom yum goong (or tom yam goong) made from shrimp, lemongrass, and herbs and spices, including hot pepper flakes.

Illustration © 2025 by Chelsea O’Bryne. Text © 2025 by Denyse Waissbluth. Courtesy of Greystone Kids.

From spicy hot soup, Waissbluth pivots to cold with gazpacho, a cool refreshment of blended veggies, vinegar, olive oil, and bread from Spain once eaten by farmers working the fields, but now enjoyed worldwide. She also takes kids to countries where soup is the star of celebrations. In Haiti soup joumou is served every January first to commemorate the country’s Independence Day. Likewise, Mexican families dine on pozole, a meat and vegetable soup that comes in three types: green, white, and red to represent the Mexican flag to celebrate their Independence Day. In addition, those who observe Ramadan often break their fast after sundown with harira soup, a mix of meat, tomatoes, noodles or rice, and spices.

Illustration © 2025 by Chelsea O’Bryne. Text © 2025 by Denyse Waissbluth. Courtesy of Greystone Kids.

In all, Waissbluth serves up the stories and scrumptious ingredients for 20 delectable soups that we and our global neighbors enjoy for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and even dessert! She also reminds us that soup isn’t strictly for meals, either. We all know the healing balm of chicken soup, and soup-making (and eating) have brought communities together for centuries. Soup really is a universal language!

Back matter includes an author’s note as well as recipes for Denyse’s and Chelsea’s favorite soups.

Illustration © 2025 by Chelsea O’Bryne. Text © 2025 by Denyse Waissbluth. Courtesy of Greystone Kids.

As in her first book in this series, Teatime Around the World, Denyse Waissbluth ferries young readers from country to country to get a taste of a dish that, while universal also bursts with unique flavors that represent diverse cultures; varied, local ingredients; and even history. Her light touch, broad range of countries and cultures, and admiration for the stories or traditions behind each type of soup keep children engaged and will spur them to think more deeply about their own relationship to special traditional family meals. 

In her vivid illustrations, Chelsea O’Bryne dishes up charming scenes that drop readers into the midst of homes, picnics, celebrations, cafes, and even mountains where they join in with preparations and enjoyment of a wide variety of soups. Her clever illustrations reward thoughtful viewing with their depth, cultural details, and humor. 

A meaningful way to engage young readers in cultural and social studies and of particular interest to children who love to cook and explore different foods and flavors, Soup’s On Around the World is highly recommended for home and library collections.

Ages 4 – 8

Greystone Kids, 2025 | ISBN 978-1778401671

About the Author

Denyse Waissbluth has eaten her way through every Canadian province and territory and more than twenty countries. Her appreciation for how food (like soup!) opens doors to different cultures, and her love of travel has inspired her first two children’s books Teatime Around the World, and now Soup’s On Around the World, both published by Greystone Kids. When she’s not working in the agricultural sector, you can find her exploring new places—both near and far—with her husband and son, enjoying a good book, or sipping a cup of tea. Visit her at denysewaissbluth.com.

About the Illustrator

Chelsea O’Byrne is an artist and teacher living and working in Vancouver, BC. She is the acclaimed illustrator of four books, including Hello, Crow! by Candace Savage (Greystone Kids, 2019), and Teatime Around the World, both published by Greystone Kids (Greystone Kids, 2020). One of Chelsea’s favorite things to eat in her studio is a nice big bowl of home-cooked soup . . . but she is very careful not to spill any on her drawings! You can visit her at chelseaobyrne.ca.

National Soup Month Activity

Soup’s On Around the World Curriculum Guide

 

This fun and colorful curriculum guide for Soup’s On Around the World provided by Greystone Books is the perfect way for teachers, parents, and other educators and caregivers to engage kids in interacting with their own favorite kinds of soup as well as the memories and stories this hearty meal inspires!

You can purchase Soup’s On Around the World from these booksellers

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop

Picture Book Review

January 9 – Welcome Winter

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About the Holiday

For children who live in northern climates, winter brings dreams of snow and all the enjoyment that goes with this fluffy, malleable, cooold precipitation. Snow isn’t just for playing in (or shoveling) though. It provides plenty of opportunities to engage with science in a fun and fascinating way—as you’ll see in today’s book!

Flurry, Float, and Fly!: The Story of a Snowstorm

Written by Laura Purdie Salas | Illustrated by Chiara Fedele

 

As readers open Flurry, Float, and Fly! autumn is welcoming its first impromptu snowflakes. The golden hues of fall still carpet the hills as “clouds lie heavy, gray, and low,” animals watch, and two children, anticipation in their hearts, don coats and boots. The siblings emerge from their house and pull out their sled.

There’s movement in the atmosphere: “From the north, a polar freeze . . . from the south, a humid breeze. All winds advance. They mix and dance.” And yet the children wait; they watch, and sit. There is no snow for sledding. But the winds are just getting started—picking up dust, working together. At last, a “tiny drop turns into ice— / six small sides, / arranged. / precise.”

Illustration © 2025 Chiara Fedele. Text © 2025 Laura Purdie Salas. Courtesy of Bloomsbury Children’s Books.

The crystals grow and begin to drift. They’re all unique. How can that be? “Each cloud’s type— / how cold?— / how wet?— / shapes each crystal’s silhouette.” The kids are ready; the snow is falling! Mom tells them that dinner’s calling. All night long the flakes float down. In the morning the world’s transformed into a winter playscape for snowmen, snow forts, and finally . . . sledding “before it’s time to say goodbye to flakes that flurry . . . float . . . and fly!”

Illustration © 2025 Chiara Fedele. Text © 2025 Laura Purdie Salas. Courtesy of Bloomsbury Children’s Books.

In her back matter, Laura Purdie Salas describes in clear and easy-to-understand language the science behind the formation of snow. She addresses the ingredients of a snowstorm, the polar jet stream, how snowflakes form and fall, and even how long it takes for a snowflake to drift to Earth. Salas also describes six common shapes of snowflakes (along with photographs) and includes websites, videos, and books for further research.

Illustration © 2025 Chiara Fedele. Text © 2025 Laura Purdie Salas. Courtesy of Bloomsbury Children’s Books.

Mixing winter hopes with science, Laura Purdie Salas’s rhyming storytelling flows as smoothly and joyfully as a sled ride down a snowy hill. Young readers will be just as invested in the suspense of the changing weather as the two siblings and forest animals who watch and feel it coming. Salas’s lyrical descriptions of how snowflakes are created are as much a marvel as the real thing, sparking excitement for learning as well as for the wonders of the season.

Chiara Fedele’s gorgeous watercolor, gouache, and colored-pencil illustrations are sumptuous portrayals of a landscape in flux as clouds bearing snow form above hills sparsely populated with homes. As winds roil, readers join two children with their minds set on sledding. As Salas’s verses begin portraying the scientific creation of snowflakes, Fedele spatters a spread with hazy white dots that with just a page turn become clearly delineated, luminescent crystals children can marvel over. Cozy images of the children and their mother through the home’s windows glow with familial warmth as squirrels, a badger, and a fox curl up in their snug dens.

Both young and adult readers will enjoy spying the squirrel, fox, badger, and raven from page to page, as well as the sibling’s changing fortunes. As the snow and dusk begin to fall at the same time, Fedele masterfully gives children a bird’s eye view of the conversation between the siblings and their mother, entirely understood by the characters’ gestures. The final two spreads reward the sibling’s patience as their friends arrive for exuberant winter play—and that long-awaited sled ride.

An exquisite and spellbinding story, Flurry, Float, and Fly!: The Story of a Snowstorm is creative nonfiction at its finest. The book is one you’ll want to add to your home or library collection. Teachers, science and nature educators, and homeschools will find this book to be a valuable resource to engage all learners. See below for how to access activities and resources to accompany the book.

Ages 4 – 7

Bloomsbury Children’s Books, 2025 | ISBN 978-1547603503

About the Author

Former teacher Laura Purdie Salas is the author of more than 130 books for kids, including Lion of the Sky, We Belong, Water Can Be…, and BookSpeak! Laura grew up in Florida, but she has lived in Minnesota all her adult life. She loves thunderstorms, snowstorms, and brainstorms. She’s also a big fan of game nights, donuts, and getting up early in the morning. Visit her at laurasalas.com and on Instagram @laurapsalas.

About the Illustrator

Chiara Fedele was born in Milan and now lives in a nearby village. She took a degree in Illustration at La Scuola del Fumetto. Chiara works with Italian and international publishers. She has won a number of awards including the Premio Cento Illustrator Competition in 2008, Sydney Taylor Award Silver Medal in 2018 and 3×3 International Illustration Award Merit in 2019. You can visit her at chiarafedeleillustrator.it and on Insta: @chiaraillu.

Welcome Winter Activity

Flurry, Float and Fly! Coloring Pages and More!

 

Laura Purdie Salas welcomes children, readers, and educators to engage with Flurry, Float and Fly!: The Story of a Snowstorm through coloring pages, a winter trivia activity, and a teacher’s guide, plus so many more activity pages and ideas that will keep kids excited about words, writing, learning, and observing for home and classroom use. Just take a look through her dropdown menus to get started having fun!

Laura Purdie Salas Downloadables & Resources

You can purchase Flurry, Float, and Fly!: The Story of a Snowstorm from these booksellers

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop

Picture Book Review

January 6 – National Cuddle Up Day

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About the Holiday

As the icy days of January settle in, National Cuddle Up Day reminds us that snuggling up with someone you love warms you, warms your heart, and builds strong relationships. Children especially love the comfort and security that hugs bring. And what would bedtime be without snuggling in with a good book like today’s sweet sure-to-be favorite?

Thank you to Cartwheel Books/Scholastic for sharing a digital copy of You’re Eggstraordinary! with me for review!

You’re Eggstraordinary!

By Sandra Magsamen

 

It’s all here—everything you want to tell your child whenever you see or think about them and your heart swells to bursting. Through her bright, adorable board book, Sandra Magsamen lets parents, grandparents, caregivers, and even older siblings express how much they love and admire the little one in their life.

Text and illustration © 2025 by Sandra Magsamen. Courtesy of Cartwheel Books.

Magsamen’s punny verses and cute-as-a-button chick brim with enthusiasm that will excite and charm young children as they soak up all the praise about how they make wishes come true, show kindness, are amazing, are the best cuddle buddies, and are simply, well . . . eggstraordinary! The delightful puff of feathers atop the book add soft, tickly fun sure to elicit plenty of giggles.

Short and sweet, You’re Eggstraordinary! is the perfect book to share with little ones whenever you want to remind them of how much they’re loved (i.e. all the time!). This book makes a terrific gift and is a fantastic choice for story time, bedtime, whenever a child needs comforting, and even as a take-along book to the park, playground, or wherever waiting is anticipated. 

Ages Baby – 5

Cartwheel Books, 2025 | ISBN 978-1546140122

Sandra Magsamen is the author and illustrator of many books for young children, including the picture book When I Grow Up I Want to Be Me, as well as a number of bestselling novelty titles, including Everybody Goes Nighty-Night, named a Best Board Book of 2018 by The Children’s Book Review; Baby Love; I Love You, Little Pumpkin; and Peek-a-Boo, I Love You. As an artist, an art therapist, and a mom, she uses her creativity to remind people to express themselves and connect with others. Her lifestyle brands, products, and books are sold worldwide. Visit her at sandramagsamen.com.

National Cuddle Up Day Activity

Cuddle Chick Craft

 

Like the little chick in today’s book, kids love to cuddle! With this craft, kids can made a cute chick cuddle buddy for playtime, story time, or bedtime! Kids can personalize their chick as to size, color, fabric, and facial expression and whether it has a comb or feathers. Just remember—while all chicks are different, they all love a hug!

Supplies

  • Fleece, gingham, or other fabric for the body large enough for the back and front. The size of fabric depends on the size of the chick to be made. 
  • Fleece or other fabric for a comb; feathers for a fluffy top. 
  • Small piece of fleece or other material for wings
  • Small scraps of fleece or other material for the eyes and beak. Kids can have fun trying different eyes to make facial expressions and may enjoy attaching velcro to the body and backs of eyes to be able to change them.
  • Poly Fill
  • Thread and sewing needle OR hot glue
  • Scissors

Directions

To Make the Body

  1. Cut two circles from the fabric in your choice of size. (I used a pot lid to outline my circles)
  2. If sewing, place the right sides of the fabric together and sew around the edges, leaving two or three inches open. If using hot glue, glue around the edges of the right side of fabric of each circle and put together, leaving two or three inches open.
  3. Turn the fabric inside out
  4. Stuff with poly fill

To Add the Comb 

  1. Cut a piece of fleece or other fabric 2 or 3 inches wide as your buddy and about 6 inches long
  2. Fold the fleece lengthwise
  3. Insert both ends of the fleece into the opening at the top of the body
  4. Sew or glue the opening shut, securing the comb
  5. Cut strips about ¼-inch wide from the top of the fabric to close to the body

To Add Feathers

  1. Gather feathers and place them into the opening at the top of the body
  2. Glue or sew them in place

To Make Wings

  1. Cut 2 teardrop-shaped pieces of fabric to pit the body 
  2. Sew or glue them to each side of the buddy, folding them around the side so half shows on the front and the back

To Make the Face

  1. Cut eyes and beak from fabric 
  2. Sew or glue the face to the buddy

You can purchase You’re Eggstraordinary! from these book sellers

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop

Picture Book Review

January 5 – National Skating Month

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About the Holiday

National Skating Month is sponsored by U.S. Figure Skating and as a week-long celebration in March 2002 following the Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City. Now co-sponsored by Learn to Skate U.S.A. and celebrated during the entire month of January, the holiday gives ice-skating rinks, clubs, and programs an opportunity to invite new families to the ice by offering free lessons and skating demonstrations. If figure skating isn’t your thing, you might like to take your skills to the hockey rink or just to a local pond for some free-style skating. However you choose to enjoy the ice, skating is fun and for everyone! To learn more about ice-skating programs in your area, visit usfigureskating.org and learntoskateusa. 

The Three Canadian Pigs: A Hockey Story

Written by Jocelyn Watkinson | Illustrated by Marcus Cutler

 

Three pigs were just finishing their hockey scrimmage when a wolf sprang from behind some bushes, fangs sharp and claws at the ready to satisfy his hunger since they looked so delicious. But as they quickly took off their skates and packed up their gear, they said, “‘I’m soorry there, Wolf, you are soorely mistaken—'” To which the wolf replied, “‘Oh no! But I’m not! You’re Canadian bacon!'” The pigs jumped on their snowmobile and hurried home to their snow fort in town. 

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Image copyright Marcus Cutler, 2022, text copyright Jocelyn Watkinson, 2022. Courtesy of Sleeping Bear Press.

It didn’t take long for the wolf to catch up with them, and from outside their door, he shouted, “‘Little pigs! Little pigs! Let me come in!'” But they just replied, “‘Not by the pads on our shinny-shin-shins!'” The wolf threatened to blow the fort down, but this was no flimsy home built of sticks or straw. In fact, they told him, “‘there’s not one single flaw!'” The wolf wasn’t going to give up easily and he collected Moose and Bear to help him break in.

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Image copyright Marcus Cutler, 2022, text copyright Jocelyn Watkinson, 2022. Courtesy of Sleeping Bear Press.

When the three pigs had just enough of the wolf’s team’s attack, they came out and challenged them to “‘settle this fight the Canadian way'” with “‘a hockey game showdown.'” With a Canada goose as a ref, they took to the ice, attracting a crowd of spectators. The wolf and his team thought they’d win with ease, but the pigs “deked and they cut: / the pigs couldn’t be caught,” and when they scored, the wolf took to underhanded measures to stop them. 

But the pigs were too quick and too nimble, and they ran up the score. When the ref blew her whistle ending the game, the pigs celebrated saving their home, but the wolf “… full of frustration and hunger and spite, / … threw down his gloves and dove in for a bite.” It looked like the pigs were goners for sure, but Bear and Moose called him out on his poor sportsmanship. Wolf dropped the three pigs, feeling ashamed but still hungry. 

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Image copyright Marcus Cutler, 2022, text copyright Jocelyn Watkinson, 2022. Courtesy of Sleeping Bear Press.

Dragging his stick and hanging his head, the wolf trudged off the ice, but one pig called out to him, inviting him to join them in a feast back at the fort. When the wolf saw their spread of poutine, tourtière, beaver tails, butter tarts, and so many other mouthwatering delicacies, he apologized: “‘Pigs, I’m so sorry that I was a brute.'” / “‘There’s nothing for you to be soorry a-boot.'” a pig graciously told him. The pigs, Wolf, Bear, and Moose all made amends and piled up their plates. Then they settled in to watch a game on TV. And as “they put up their feet,” the wolf had to agree that “‘being friends with Canadian bacon is sweet!'”

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Image copyright Marcus Cutler, 2022, text copyright Jocelyn Watkinson, 2022. Courtesy of Sleeping Bear Press.

Full of clever rhymes, puns, valuable lessons, and dialogue that winks at Canadian pronunciations, Jocelyn Watkinson’s story flows as smoothly as a hockey puck on ice. Her regional take on the traditional Three Little Pigs story is fast-paced and suspenseful while touching on themes of sportsmanship, remorse and forgiveness, and friendship all framed with high-energy hockey action and plenty of humor. Especially welcome is Watkinson’s depiction of Bear and Moose confronting Wolf when he reneges on his agreement to let the pigs go if they win the game. Standing up to a friend or for what’s right can be hard, but Watkinson shows readers that having the courage of your convictions is honorable, honest, and can often turn a negative situation into a positive experience.

Marcus Cutler scores with his funny, emotion-packed illustrations that will have kids laughing and cheering for the pigs from page to page. Winter sports fans will love all the hockey action and will want to linger over the pigs’ hard-won trophy, on which Cutler had fun hamming it up with the names of some of hockey’s greats, The spread of favorite Canadian foods is sure to inspire game-night treat feasts. Cutler also highlights the important role of Bear and Moose, who ultimately appeal to Wolf’s better nature.

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Image copyright Marcus Cutler, 2022. Courtesy of Sleeping Bear Press.

In a humorous and foreshadowing scene, Bear halfheartedly scratches at the pigs’ snow fort with one paw while holding a steaming mug in the other as Wolf exhorts his friends to “ram and claw and maul” their way inside. When Bear and Moose finally challenge Wolf to live up to his deal, their disapproval is clearly visible to readers. Wolf’s resulting feelings, as well as their cause, are also evident, giving kids and adults openings for meaningful discussions on behavior.

Whether your kids wait all year for hockey season, are fans of fractured fairy tales, or simply love a great story, The Three Canadian Pigs is a funny and impactful read aloud that’s sure to become a story time favorite all year long and a book you’ll be glad you added to your home, classroom, school, or public library.

Ages 4 – 7

Sleeping Bear Press, 2022  ISBN 978-1534111608

Jocelyn Watkinson is a children’s picture book author and ex-pat Canadian living in California, with her husband, son, and golden retriever. Visit her at jocelynwatkinson.com.

Marcus Cutler is the author/illustrator of I Do Not Eat Children and the illustrator of You Might Be Special!, The Three Canadian Pigs, and Travel Guide for Monsters Part Deux: A Canadian Adventure, among others. Visit him marcuscutler.com.

National Skating Month Activity

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The Three Canadian Pigs Activity Kit

 

The game’s on with the two puzzles and two coloring pages inspired by today’s book! Just download and print them from the Sleeping Bear Press site here:

The Three Canadian Pigs Activity Kit

You can purchase The Three Canadian Pigs: A Hockey Story from these booksellers

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop 

Picture Book Review