Tag Archives: Birthdays

Elem. – Mira and Baku

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Truuvert, Sara. Mira and Baku. Illustrated by Michelle Theodore. Annick Press, 2023. 978-1-773-21756-7. $18.99. Unpaged. Grades K-3.

Mira’s Papa has been absent for quite awhile, but he has never missed her birthday before. However, when her birthday is only five days away, her mother tells her that Papa won’t be back for it. Mira is extremely upset by this news, so she asks Baku, her imaginary friend (and a creature from Japanese folklore), to help her find Papa. Together, they fly over mountains, fields, oceans, and villages. Throughout their travels, they discover clues as to Papa’s whereabouts, such as their abandoned house and his abandoned shop. As they search for Papa, Mira relives many fond memories of collecting stones with her father. Finally, her birthday arrives, along with a surprise. Although Papa is unable to be there in person, he has found a way to let Mira know she is loved. Colorful illustrations of the Canadian countryside are interspersed with more neutral, washed out spreads that reflect Mira’s somber mood. Back matter includes an author’s note describing Japanese Canadian internment in more detail, as well as a list of websites where readers can find more information on the topic.

THOUGHTS: Young children will probably need some background information and guidance to fully understand why Mira’s Papa is absent (he is being held in an internment camp). However, this book will resonate with any child experiencing family separation, whether their family member is in the military, incarcerated, or deceased. Mira’s way of coping with her father’s absence (turning to Baku and reminiscing about the happy times) could potentially provide comfort to other children who are experiencing a similar separation.

Picture Book

Elem. – A Crown for Corina

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Kemp, Laekan Zea. A Crown for Corina. Elisa Chavarri. Little, Brown and Company, 2023. 978-0-7595-5684-3. Unpaged. $18.99. Grades K-3.

In A Crown for Corina, it’s Corina’s birthday and she gets to create a flower crown out of the beautiful flowers found within her abuela’s garden. As she goes through and picks her flowers, she learns from her grandmother all the different things the flowers mean. Each one has a special meaning either for her family or for Corina personally. Once Corina picks all of her flowers, she wears her flower crown for her party and doesn’t want to take it off, even during her bedtime routine. She notices the flower petals are starting to droop, and her abuela tells her why that is. As Corina goes to sleep, she thinks about all the other birthdays and flower crowns she will get to have.

THOUGHTS: This was such a sweet story! Highly recommended for any elementary collection, as the story and the illustrations both are beautiful.

Picture Book

Elem. – Flying Scotsman and the Best Birthday Ever

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Morpurgo, Michael. Flying Scotsman and the Best Birthday Ever. Illustrated by Michael Foreman. Thames & Hudson, 2022. Unpaged. $17.95. 978-0-500-65294-7. Grades 2-5. 

A fictional girl shares memories of her father as driver of the Flying Scotsman, and her love of steam locomotives throughout her career and life. The Flying Scotsman, a passenger locomotive between London and Edinburgh, was built in 1923 and served proudly with crew for many years in the United Kingdom, later making visits to the United States, Canada, and Australia, giving it the honor of being the first steam locomotive to circumnavigate the globe. The girl in this story shares her pride in watching her father prepare the engine and driving the Flying Scotsman, waving and calling to his daughter. She wants to go with him, in fact, “to shovel the coal, to pull the whistle, to help him drive.” Her teacher tells her girls can’t, and her mother tells her not yet, but the little girl leaves a note and secretly follows her father to the train for her own secret ride. But the stowaway is found, and it is not until later that her father is granted tickets for his wife and daughter to ride in the luxury of First Class on Flying Scotsman. Her memories of that ride are vivid. Being dressed in their finest, having a magnificent breakfast and lunch in the dining car, seeing beautiful sights from the windows of their train car, and arriving in Edinburgh to cheers and a band, for the Flying Scotsman had set a world record for speed! The girl later has a career with the train, being honored to stand on the footplate, where her dad once had been. The book ends with facts about the steam locomotive and its travel years as well as its place now giving special passenger tours in the U.K. 

THOUGHTS: Share this with those with a love for trains and their history or anyone with wanderer’s lust for new sights. This book could easily spark a love for trains, history and travel.

Picture Book          Melissa Scott, Shenango Area SD

Elem. – Traditions Around the World (Series NF)

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Traditions Around the World.  The Child’s World, 2022.  $30.79 ea. Set of 8. 32 p. Grades K-3.

Axelrod-Contrada, Joan. Halloween and Day of the Dead Traditions. 978-1-503-85016-3.
Cosson, M.J.  Easter Traditions. 978-1-503-85015-6.
—. Wishing Traditions. 978-1-503-85014-9.
Ingalls, Ann.  Birthday Traditions. 978-1-503-85011-8.
—. Christmas Traditions. 978-1-503-85012-5.
Kesserling, Susan. National Day Traditions. 978-1-503-85017-0.
Malaspina, Anna. New Year Traditions. 978-1-503-85018-7.
—. Tooth Traditions. 978-1-503-85013-2.

Each volume of this collection discusses various holidays, celebrations, or traditions in a variety of countries. These include Christmas, birthdays, Easter, Halloween, New Year, National holidays, and customs regarding tooth loss and wishing.  The text is formatted in typical nonfiction style and includes a table of contents, glossary, index, and suggested supplemental reading. What makes this series interesting is that the author has included at least one country from every inhabited continent. In Christmas Traditions, there are pages for Uganda, Chile, and India. In Birthday Traditions, one can learn about customs in Australia, Ghana, and Korea. At the bottom of each country’s page, a world map highlights the featured nation in red. The texts give some general background about the featured subject on the first few pages. The author includes either a craft or recipe as well as a song in the back matter. There are colorful photographs or illustrations on each two page spread. 

THOUGHTS: Although the set is a bit pricey, it is a good choice for those libraries needing updated diverse materials on holidays and traditions. This set is also useful for demonstrating nonfiction text features. Also available in digital format.  The volumes about Christmas Traditions and Birthday Traditions were used for this review.

394 General Customs          Denise Medwick, Retired, PSLA Member