The word "parent" is not just a noun. It's also a verb.
A Fist for Joe Louis and Me explores these questions and more as it follows the story of two boys in Detroit during the Great Depression. Gordy, an African American boy, and his father, an auto worker, idolize Joe Louis, a world famous boxer. Gordy’s father would come home every Friday and teach Gordy how to box. Together they would follow Friday Night Fights on the radio.
On the right, a Christmas tree. Old fashioned bubble lights mostly working, a couple of snowball lights already out, Hallmark ornaments galore. On the left, what can only be termed an eclectic Bethlehem. The nativity scene set up in the front, with an old school New England flower shop, a gasoline station, an observatory and a lighthouse surrounding it.
Ayesha senses that all is not the same as other weddings, but her parents worry does not dampen her spirits. Ayesha is still surprised when they get to the house and her other family members are not there.
This book follows a father, daughter, and their little puppy through their day in a big city. They have breakfast, they go to the park, they get rained out of the park, they come home and they have bath time, supper time, story time, and bedtime. An ordinary and uneventful day.
Natsumi’s Song of SummerAuthor: Robert Paul WestonIllustrator: Misa SaburiAges: 3-7Tundra Books There is nothing quite like being young in the summertime. The endless possibilities, the
Asked by friends at the playground, at dance class, at dinner…she responds, “I’m from here, from today, same as everyone else.” That answer doesn’t seem to suffice so she asks her Abuelo and his answer is absolutely priceless.
It’s been well over 30 years since I experienced a Thanksgiving like that; a Thanksgiving with a large extended family, surrounded by those with whom I share a common ancestry, but really so much more. Whether through blood or marriage, those familial bonds, made often through strife laced with love (and not the other way around), are indelible. They are what put the “crazy,” in Crazy Glue. Yes, we have framily, but even those of us who roll our eyes at going home for the holidays, sometimes wish we had a home to go home to.
Madeline Finn is a young girl with a big white dog named Star. Is he a lab? Is he a Great Pyrenees? Does it matter? No. He is adorable, and so is she. Madeline is training Star to be a therapy dog. They practice meeting people, sitting still, and meeting other dogs. Then it’s time for Star’s first of three tests at the retirement home. He passes with flying colors.
Violet Shrink, by Christine Baldacchino, and illustrated by Carmen Mok, is really a parents’ how-to manual masquerading as a children’s picture book, but not to worry, kids will appreciate it too.