Month: November 2020

Holiday Book Reviews: Season’s Readings!

~ Melanie Manzer Kyer ~ Leave a comment

When my book, The Great Holiday Cookie Swap, was released, I started looking at sales numbers on Amazon. I laughed about it because I knew I wasn’t about to release at the top of the best-seller list! The numbers are all a little surreal. Still, it amused me to look them up and see things like this:

Snapshot in time: in early November, my book was the 2,827th most popular Children’s Christmas book. Who knew there were even that many, right? Two weeks later, I now sit at 5,375 in that category. Publishing is fickle!

It was definitely humbling to look at those numbers, particularly to realize just how many books are out there– and in particular how many holiday books! Having a title that is at its most relevant only for a couple months of the year is a challenge– so today I am featuring some of those. Three of them are new releases for 2020, and the other two were out in the last two years. If you are looking for a good holiday gift book, you can’t go wrong with any of these..maybe paired with a copy of The Great Holiday Cookie Swap, of course!

Title: Santa Bruce
Author/Illustrator: Ryan T. Higgins
Publisher/Date: Disney-Hyperion; Illustrated edition (September 4, 2018)
The “gist”:  Grumpy Bruce wants to be left alone (as usual), but when animals sight him in his red coat and hat, they think he is Santa and naturally, he is forced to oblige…
My favorite part: I love when Bruce is in the sled being pulled by the geese, but it turns out the sled is too heavy, so Bruce has to pull it. Poor Bruce!
My response as a reader: Ryan’s books are always so much fun– there is a simple timelessness about them but also a great clever playfulness, particularly in the art which always has little funny bits for the adults to notice. I can’t pick a favorite, but this one comes close!
My “take-away” as a writer: I will admit it is definitely a life-goal to have a book that is popular enough to have kids clamoring for a sequel.

Title: I’m going to give you a Polar Bear Hug!
Author: Caroline B. Cooney
Illustrator: Tim Warnes
Publisher/Date: Zonderkidz; Illustrated edition (October 6, 2020)
The “gist”:  The story lists all the different ways in which the narrator will give you a hug– a tickly hug, a snowy hug, a shivery hug, etc.!
My favorite part: The little girl wears a little “polar bear” hat throughout which is just adorable!
My response as a reader: There is pure joy on every page of this book — and right now when we can’t hug all of those people we would like to, even this book is like a warm hug!
My “take-away” as a writer: This is a concept book, since it doesn’t really have a storyline, it is just a litany of types of hugs, but it definitely holds your interest! I love the beautiful cadence of each line and the choice of such perfect descriptive vocabulary for each page!

Title: The Joyful Book
Author/Illustrator: Todd Parr
Publisher/Date: Little, Brown BYR; Illustrated edition (October 6, 2020)
The “gist”:  There are many ways to be joyful — gathering with friends, lighting candles, opening presents, etc. no matter what your family traditions.
My favorite part: The very last page contains a wonderful message from the author, Todd Parr, to the readers: “Holidays are a special time. No matter what traditions you celebrate, it is always joyful to be together with family and friends. Try to find joy every day and share it with others all year long!”
My response as a reader:  I love that there are so many multicultural holidays represented here– I clearly see Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and Christmas, and there may be others, but they are simply illustrated as part of being joyful and that universality is great to see.
My “take-away” as a writer: I am biased of course, but it is nice to know that I have something in common with a New York Times Bestseling Author– this book is similar to mine in not focusing on any one holiday but on the importance of sharing and tradition. It would be a great companion book for someone wanting to give two books to a family — or a teacher reading two holiday books.

Title: Happy Llamakkah!
Author: Laura Gehl
Illustrator: Lydia Nichols
Publisher/Date: Harry N. Abrams; Illustrated edition (October 13, 2020)
The “gist”:  Each page brings a new short rhyme with information about celebrations for Hanukkah, always ending with “Happy Llamakkah!”
My favorite part: It’s llamas! What’s not to love? The illustrations are adorable!
My response as a reader: This would be such a great read aloud — I can totally imagine little kids loving to join in with the “Happy Llamakkah!” each time!
My “take-away” as a writer: Like my book, there is some good backmatter here, but there is also just a happy story about enjoying traditions.

Title: The Tree That’s Meant to Be
Author/Illustrator: Yuval Zommer
Publisher/Date: Doubleday BYR; Illustrated edition (September 24, 2019)
The “gist”:  Little tree is a bit crooked and not perfect like all the others who are chosen for Christmas trees. But maybe that is ok!
My favorite part: I love that this book feels so timeless– the illustrations of the trees and the brush stroke style remind me of books from my childhood!
My response as a reader: This book really made my heart full– I loved the idea that we are all the WE whom we are meant to be and that comes through here without being preachy.
My “take-away” as a writer: It can be hard to make first person stories work, especially with anthropomorphic main characters– this one does it really well, bringing into the tree’s lonely world and helping us feel the love at the end!

The Great Holiday Cookie Swap: Bonus Material for Diwali!

~ Melanie Manzer Kyer ~ Leave a comment

Happy Diwali: Parent and Teacher Materials!!

If you have read THE GREAT HOLIDAY COOKIE SWAP, you know that the cookies might be bickering to this day if it weren’t for the wise peaceful words of Nan Khatai. Although Indian food generally does not involve lots of cookies, the lightly scented cardamom shortbread Nan Khatai is a favorite of many and a great way to celebrate the holiday of lights, Diwali, which starts its celebrations today, November 14th!

Learn how to make your own candles to celebrate Diwali — in the shape of Nan Khatai, the heroic shortbread from THE GREAT HOLIDAY COOKIE SWAP! Then read the book together or make the cookies to enjoy by candlelight!

Click the link below the candle to download the instructions!

Happy Diwali!!

“Nan Khatai” Candle InstructionsDownload

Pandemic PB reviews (with no particular theme)…

~ Melanie Manzer Kyer ~ Leave a comment
Stopped by my local Barnes & Noble today to see my book “in the wild”! It is as thrilling as I had dreamed it would be– now I just hope people will buy it!

Between the pandemic and the chaos of being a teacher right now, I don’t get out to explore new books as often as I used to, but when I do, it sure is amazing to see how many fun and creative new picture books are out there. I wanted to focus on books published since the start of the pandemic, since they are most likely to need some “extra love,” but a couple just jumped out at me and begged to be read, so I couldn’t refuse!

Title: Sweety
Author/Illustrator: Andrea Zuill
Publisher/Date: Schwartz & Wade; Illustrated edition (March 26, 2019)
The “gist”:  Sweety’s aunt calls her a “square peg,” since she just doesn’t seem to fit in anywhere, but does that mean she should change?
My favorite part: I loved that of all creatures, Sweety was a naked mole rat– and there was a sweet note about how the illustrator was thankful they liked clothing so there was no worry about drawing “embarrassing” parts!
My response as a reader: Sweety’s story resonated with me greatly, because I never had many friends growing up. My social skills weren’t great, and I preferred the company of adults much of the time. My dad once told me he was proud I didn’t have friends because it meant I had not sacrificed who I was and tried to be like the popular kids. But life without friends can be lonely and painful. It wasn’t until I got to college that I met “kindred spirits.” I hope that kids reading Sweety will realize they don’t have to change and things WILL get better.
My “take-away” as a writer: Who knew that all this time I could have written about my lonely childhood? Then again, childhood trauma is what makes a good writer, right?

Title: How to Meet a Mermaid
Author: Sue Fliess
Illustrator:  Simona Sanfilippo
Publisher/Date: Sky Pony (June 16, 2020)
The “gist”: The title says it all: this book takes you through the steps of where to find mermaids, how to make a crown to entice them, etc.
My favorite part: I love that the children basically have a magical moment of turning into mermaids and then when it is over, they are kids again! How fun!
My response as a reader: Who doesn’t love mermaids, right? Not only are they super fun, but they are really popular right now, so I bet kids would love this! (I did!).
My “take-away” as a writer: This book is part of a whole series of “Magical Creatures and Crafts” which includes books about Unicorns, Christmas Elves, etc. all of which pair a story with some crafts families can make– genius idea!!

Title: This is NOT that kind of Book
Author: Christopher Healey
Illustrator:  Ben Mantle
Publisher/Date: Random House BYR (October 15, 2019)
The “gist”: In this very “meta” kind of book, the characters are all confused about just what kind of book they find themselves in.
My favorite part: I love the apple! Similar to “Groot,” he pops in repeatedly with “I am an apple!” and is simply adorable!
My response as a reader: This is the best picture book I have read in while— I am a sucker for books that break the fourth wall or play with the concept of picture books (Julie Falatko’s Snappsy is another big favorite!)
My “take-away” as a writer: While the characters in this book are essentially “stock” characters, they do not seem one dimensional and they all fit really well with the plot, ultimately working really naturally together to create a plot.

Title: The Same, but Different, Too
Author: Karl Newson
Illustrator:  Kate Hindley
Publisher/Date: Nosy Crow; (March 19, 2020)
The “gist”: Told in sparse and simple rhyming text, this book highlights what unites us even though we may look different or have different talents.
My favorite part: The illustrations have a great “Richard Scarry” quality which makes them seem really timeless. (Just googled their two names, by the way, and Hindley lists Scarry as an inspiration– she can feel proud, because she nailed him!)
My response as a reader: This would make a splendid board book for very young readers– the text is reminiscent of Dr. Seuss (without the outlandish made-up words) and has a similar “feel good” moral.
My “take-away” as a writer: Simplify, simplify! I didn’t count, but I would be surprised if this text topped 300 words, but it doesn’t need more than that. What can I cut in my own writing? 

Title: Gurple and Preen
Author: Linda Sue Park
Illustrator: Debbie Ridpath Ohi
Publisher/Date: Simon & Schuster BYR (August 25, 2020)
The “gist”: Gurple and Preen are robots whose spaceship has crashed. They use random objects which come out of the broken crayons to fix the spaceship.
My favorite part: I adore Debbi Ohi and her art, and one of her taglines is “You never know what will come out of a broken crayon.” (I highly recommend her Flickr page for more brilliant examples!) So, I just loved seeing his concept turned into a whole book!
My response as a reader: I would love reading this with a little one and asking them to anticipate what you could do with each of the items that comes out of the crayons!
My “take-away” as a writer: This book made me even more respectful of the amazing partnership between author and illustrator. I have no idea if Linda Sue and Debbie worked together on the plot for this, but there is truly no separating the text from the pictures here and if I hadn’t known better, I would have sworn they had to come from one person! Bravo, Ladies!