Archives de catégorie : Picture Books

SIMON THE HUGGER de Stacy B. Davids, illustré par Ana Sebastián

A story about hugs, consent, and a lovable, huggable sloth named Simon.

SIMON THE HUGGER
by Stacy B. Davids
illustrated by Ana Sebastián
Beaming Books, November 2022
(via Kaplan/DeFiore Rights)

Simon the sloth loves to hug. He hugs plants. He hugs rocks. He hugs his friends. He even hugs himself! So when his best friend, Elsa the jaguar, and others around him start saying no to his hugs, he is crushed. Why wouldn’t someone want to be hugged? After being rejected several times, he learns that both he and his friends need to want a hug at the same time so they both feel comfortable.
This lighthearted story about a lovable, huggable sloth is a gentle introduction to the importance of receiving consent before offering physical affection to others, and respecting others’ boundaries.

Stacy B. Davids, PhD, is a psychologist and a former special education teacher. Her highly praised picture book, Annie’s Plaid Shirt, won Silver in the Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Awards. She lives in Florida and loves cats, cookies, and chocolate.
Ana Sebastián is a children’s book illustrator based in Spain. She studied fine arts at the University of Zaragoza and Université Michel de Montaigne, Bordeaux, France. She also completed a master’s degree in digital illustration. Her work is focused on colors and light. Working mostly with her iPad Pro, she also likes working with colored pencils, gouache, and watercolors.

ONE SMALL THING de Marsha Diane Arnold & Laura Watkins

A gentle and powerful look at how small actions can make a big impact.

ONE SMALL THING
by Marsha Diane Arnold
illustrated by Laura Watkins
Beaming Books, May 2023
(via Kaplan/DeFiore Rights)

After Raccoon’s home burns down in a lightning storm, his friends don’t know what they can do to help. Squirrel, Beaver, Mouse, Badger, and Rabbit all go back to their own homes, trying to focus on something other than Raccoon’s tragedy. But each animal discovers one small thing they can do for Raccoon—and it turns out that each small act may not be so small after all.

Marsha Diane Arnold is a multi-award-winning picture-book author of twenty-three books, with over one million copies sold. Her books have garnered state book awards and honors such as multiple Junior Library Guild selections. Marsha is a member of SCBWI and currently lives in Florida.
Laura Watkins has illustrated international children’s books, designed greeting cards, painted murals, and worked in art galleries. She is the winner of The Northern Illustration prize. Laura lives in London with her Red Setters, pens, pencils, and chocolate.

I HEAR YOU, OCEAN de Kallie George & Carmen Mok

This joyful and soothing picture book about ocean sounds will transport readers to the seaside.

I HEAR YOU, OCEAN
by Kallie George
illustrated by Carmen Mok
Greystone Kids, September 2022

When a child visits the ocean with his little brother, he whispers to him, “The ocean has lots to say, if you listen.” Together, they hear wondrous things, like the rumble of pebbles tumbling and filling the beach with shiny gems, the bark of a seal playing peekaboo, and the whooshing of a shell murmuring messages.
The second book in the Sounds of Nature Series for young children, I HEAR YOU, OCEAN is an excellent resource for outdoor education and social-emotional learning, helping to teach:

• How to engage with nature in fun and respectful ways
• Mindfulness and empathy with the world around us
• Positive and gentle play with younger siblings
• The ocean makes magical sounds—you just have to listen!

Kallie George is an author and picture book editor who has written numerous acclaimed books for children. She grew up on the Sunshine Coast in BC, where she spent her days roaming the forests and listening to all the sounds within. Now, she and her husband have made a home in the woods so that her son can do the same.
Carmen Mok has received several illustration awards, including the SCBWI Canada East People’s Choice Portfolio Award for Illustration and the Storyteller Award. Mok is the illustrator of I Hear You, Forest, Grandmother’s Visit, Violet Shrink, and A Stopwatch from Grampa. She lives in St. Catharines, Ontario.

HIDDEN HOPE d’Elisa Boxer & Amy June Bates

This picture book tells the remarkable true story of how a toy duck smuggled forged identity papers for Jewish refugees during WWII.

HIDDEN HOPE:
How a Toy and a Hero Saved Lives During the Holocaust
by Elisa Boxer
illustrated by Amy June Bates
Abrams BYR, March 2023

During World War II, families all across Europe huddled together in basements, attics, and closets as Nazi soldiers rounded up anyone Jewish. The Star of David, a symbol of faith and pride, became a tool of hate when the Nazis forced Jewish people to carry papers stamped with that star, so that it was clear who to capture. But many brave souls dared to help them.
Jewish teenager Jacqueline Gauthier, a member of the French Resistance who had to conceal her identity, was one who risked her life in secret workshops, forging papers with new names and without stars in order to help others escape. But how to get these life-saving papers to families in hiding? An ordinary wooden toy duck held the answer, a hidden compartment: hope in a hollow.
Written by award-winning journalist Elisa Boxer and movingly illustrated by the acclaimed Amy June Bates, HIDDEN HOPE celebrates the triumph of freedom and the human spirit, a story of everyday heroism, resilience, and finding hope in unexpected places.

Elisa Boxer is the author of the picture book Covered in Color as well as an Emmy Award–winning journalist and columnist. She has reported for newspapers, magazines, and TV stations, and has a passion for telling stories about people finding the courage to create change. Boxer lives with her family in Maine.
Amy Bates is the illustrator of many books for children, including The Boy and the Sea, Gittel’s Journey, Minette’s Feast, and The Dog Who Belonged to No One. She lives in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.

FLORA’S WISH de Fiona Halliday

A picture book about friendship and loss, in which a shy little mouse learns about bravery after her dandelion friend fades and departs, leaving behind only wishes.

FLORA’S WISH
by Fiona Halliday
Dial/ Penguin Young Readers, August 2023

Flora the field mouse was a boldly whiskered liontamer! Although it wasn’t very hard to be bold and brave with her best friend Lion (a dandelion) by her side. But as the seasons change, Lion’s whiskers go from a bright yellow to shimmering silver, until one day, he scatters in the wind completely. Can Flora still be brave without Lion by her side?

Fiona Halliday loves all things finned, furred, feathered and fantastical. She studied English Literature at Edinburgh University and received a MA in Photojournalism from the University of Westminster, London. She has been a freelance journalist and photographer, an ESL teacher, and an organist. Originally from Scotland, she now lives in Austria.