Celebrating Motherhood with a Giveaway!

My Giveaways are coming in twos lately!  To help you celebrate Mother's Day, I'm offering two very special books for one lucky winner...You Made Me a Mother and Mama's Milk.

The first book, You Made Me a Mother, has an interesting "story behind the story" that involves a viral video...
Originally, author Laurenne Sala wrote the text as a poem for Boba baby carriers.  That company, in turn, used it to accompany a video that stimulated 40,000 shares on their Facebook page within a week!

Harper Collins got wind of the fact that most Moms couldn't keep a dry eye while watching the video!  So they contacted Laurenne and paired her heartwarming text with fun illustrations by Fancy Nancy's Robin Preiss Glasser.

The opening lines will surely prompt good discussion with your read aloud buddy:

I felt you.

You were a pea. Then a lemon. Then an eggplant.

Today I'm giving away a beautiful hard cover edition of You Made Me a Mother.  In the meantime, I hope you enjoy the sweet video of Laurenne Sala's poem that got Harper Collins' attention and created lots of buzz (get some tissues ready)...



You Made Me a Mother is definitely a love note to mothers, but guess what?  Laurenne's also got a tribute to fathers, coming in 2018.  You Made Me a Father is the title of course, and it has been preceded by a sweet video as well!

Now on to the second hard cover picture book I'm giving away... Mama's Milk.  This sweet book was introduced to me by a missionary Mama who is with New Horizons in Romania.  She loves reading so much, she is promoting reading aloud in that country, where it is not really a common practice for families to visit the library for read aloud books (well, not for long)!  She also translated Mama's Milk, written with rhyming text by Michael Elsohn Ross, into Romanian because nursing is not a commonplace practice in Romania either.

This cozy book celebrates the warm and loving bond between mammal mamas and their babies. Sweetly illustrated by Ashley Wolff, it shows little ones doing what comes naturally - nursing their mamas! It is a perfect read aloud for young children - who may have questions about how new babies get fed - while they wait for (or after) the arrival of a new sibling. The last two-page spread gives facts about each of the mammals featured in the book.  (Did you know that foals nurse every 30 minutes?)

Get your comments ready!  I hope you're as excited about this giveaway as I am...Good Luck!

• To enter, please leave a comment here and/or on my Good Books For Young Souls Facebook page. And please share this post on Facebook with any Mamas in your life who might like these sweet picture books.  (Both are available in your library, local bookstore, and on Amazon.)
• Giveaway ends at 11:59 PST, April 28, 2016.
• Winner announced April 29, 2016.

One Special Day for Big Brothers, Prince George Included!

Since my grandson just gained a new little baby brother, I was so excited when my daughter showed me a book written about sibling boys!  It's One Special Day, by Lola M. Schaefer, illustrated by Jessica Meserve (published in 2012, best for ages 2-5).

I absolutely love this endearing book! Because it's told from the perspective of a boy, it's perfect for boys who have just experienced the birth of a new sibling and are making that important transition into big-brotherhood.

It's a story about Spencer... 

One Special Day really captures the essence of what most boys are.  Spencer's actions are all compared to different animals - and as you read aloud this story with your boy (or girl), he (she) will love to "fill in the blank"...

Yes, Spencer was loud, strong, fast, funny, messy, and wild...

Until one special day, when suddenly all Spencer's energy is intensely concentrated into gentleness (at least for a few minutes) as he holds the new baby (who also happens to be a boy).

...Spencer was a brother!

We've taken tons of photos of my grandson with his new brother, and the pictures look just like the illustration in the book, which captures the look of love and protection Spencer, as a new big brother, suddenly feels for his little new-born sibling.

I also couldn't help but think of some photos of another (more famous - and royal) sibling couple that just hit the press - how cute is Prince George (those blue knee socks!!!!) with his baby sister Princess Charlotte???

HRH THE DUCHESS OF CAMBRIDGE/@KENSINGTONROYAL
source

Back to One Special Day -- Make sure you don't miss the front and end inside cover pages, which show a bit more of the story...

At the front of the book you see Spencer by himself in all kinds of typical boy poses (climbing, doing handstands, jumping, etc.)  And on the back end pages he's doing more fun things -- only now he is joined by his little brother, who is no longer an infant, but a little boy himself!

I recently posted about the book Bringing Home the New Baby, which my grandson also loved.  We wanted to buy him a little "Baby Brother Dolly", like the doll the little girl in the book has, so he could feed and change his doll while his Mommy fed and changed his baby brother.  Books about boys and new babies may be hard to come by - but try finding a boy gender baby doll! There were mostly girl dollies in frills and pink, but we finally found one that simply looked like a newborn baby, with a neutral colored sleeper on.

Another - really funny - "new sibling" book (for kids a little bit older) is Julius, The Baby of The World, by Kevin Henkes.  It's told from the perspective of a very precocious little girl mouse named "Lilly", who reluctantly gets a new brother - "Julius".  Hilarious help for sibling rivalry. (4-8 year olds)

Do you have any favorite books that deal with new siblings/sibling rivalry?  I'd love to hear about them!

Some Help for Big Brother From Eloise Wilkin...Bringing Home The New Baby!

Today was the day!  

My new little grandson Edward came home!  

And I had the perfect book for his Big Brother Peter...

We read Esther and Eloise Wilkin's The New Baby together several times before Mommy and Daddy arrived.  The little girl in the story has a doll named "Baby Dear" (more about that at the end of my post).  

My grandson showed the book to some of his favorite stuffed animals...

Just like the little girl in the story, he was in full anticipation of 

The Homecoming...

He had practiced being gentle with his stuffed animals so he could hold Mommy's new baby, just like the little girl we read about...

I think Big Brother did a pretty good job!

Welcome home, Edward!

Fun trivia bout this book: 

• Eloise Wilkin (1904-1987), who illustrated more than 50 books for Little Golden Books, often illustrated the titles of her sister, children's author Esther Burns Wilkin (who married Eloise's brother-in-law).
• Eloise often used her own children as models for the children in her books, and later used her grandchildren as models.
• In 1960, Vogue Dolls, Inc. launched the first doll designed by Eloise Wilkin. "Baby Dear" came in 12 and 18 inch-sizes and sold for $6 and $12 respectively.  
• In all, Eloise designed eight dolls for Vogue and Madame Alexander. 
• Baby Dear and So Big, both written by Esther Wilkin and illustrated by Eloise Wilkin, feature the Eloise Wilkin dolls.

SELFLESS SIBLING LOVE

Bella becomes her little brother's hero when she figures out a
way to get back his stuffed animal, "Dogger".

DOGGER, by Shirley Hughes, is a favorite picture book of children everywhere.  It won the Kate Greenway Medal - the British version of America's Caldecott Medal - in 1977, as well as the all-time favorite, "Greenway of Greenways" in 2007.  This book is not to be missed! The ending of this beautiful story will probably bring a tear to your eye.  The example of kindness shown from a sister towards her little brother is heartwarming for parents, and might encourage your own children to show small acts of kindness towards each other.
    

When Dave loses his favorite friend - his stuffed animal "Dogger" - he is heartbroken. The family practically turns their house upside down looking for Dave's special toy, but to no avail. When Dogger turns up for sale at a neighborhood fair, everything seems all right—until someone else buys him before Dave can get the money!  Then Dave's older sister Bella does a remarkable thing:  she offers the teddy bear she has just won in a raffle in exchange for Dogger!

This book is a great summer read aloud. Kids are off school and can oftentimes get bored and irritated with their siblings.  What better story to share on a warm summer afternoon?  For ages 3-7.

Another "sibling book" that won the Kate Greenway Medal (in 2001):  I WILL NOT NEVER EVER EAT A TOMATO, by Lauren Child.

LAUREN CHILD, POST #2

MEET CHARLIE AND LOLA:  "THEY'RE EVERYCHILD"

"I always wanted a brother, although I doubt he would have been as nice as Charlie. I made him seven because it is one of my favorite ages. I never think of Lola as precocious and certainly not brat-ish - she is one of those children who is just very curious and has quite a strong sense of self. Lots of four-year-olds are like her. There is a retro feel to the whole Charlie and Lola world; the subject is simple and always about the tiny things in life. Tiny things, which can seem very big when you are four or seven."

- Lauren Child

Each one of Lauren Child's Charlie and Lola books starts, "I have a little sister, Lola. She is small and very funny" (she's four and she drinks pink milk!) Who can resist that?? According to Child, this sibling pair is "everychild - their stories talk about problems most children can relate to." In each story, we find patient Charlie in the predicament of having to come up with inventive ways of persuading Lola to try new food, go to bed, or see the importance of going to school. The character of Lola is based on a little girl Child observed on a train while she was travelling in Denmark.

If you've read any other Lauren Child books (see yesterday's post), you'll immediately recognize her style: the witty humor and dialogue, mixed media illustrations, and text that wanders across the page.

THE ORIGINAL BOOKS that started it all (be sure not to miss these!):
I Will Never Not Ever Eat a Tomato

I Am Not Sleepy and I Will Not Go to Bed 

I Am Too Absolutely Small for School

Slightly Invisible, Child's newest "original": This fourth tale was inspired by a boy who asked Child, "Have you ever thought about writing a book where Charlie actually gets annoyed with Lola?", this is the story of Charlie's attempts to play on his own with his friend Marv - and Lola's efforts to engage them.

(My son and daughter, David and Mary, were a lot like Charlie and Lola.  David was definitely patient with his sister, although Mary wasn't quite as energetic or persistent as Lola... when one of them had a friend over - and then permanently when we added Little Brother Jonny into the mix -  they had to adapt to the dynamic that came with being three, like in SLIGHTLY INVISIBLE!)

"Oh," says Lola.  "Would you maybe like to have a tea party instead?"

The four original books by this prolific British children's book author/illustrator were adapted as a cartoon television series in 2005 in Britain.  The episodes (now available on DVD) were also shown on Playhouse Disney here in the U.S. and have been as popular with parents as with their kids. The characters, voiced by children with adorable British accents, are endearing.  Her titles are hilarious...

These Spin-off books are based on scripts and animation from the series (simpler than originals, but still entertaining and fun - 24 pages - click on titles to see cover art and read reviews):
I Am Extremely Absolutely Boiling
I'm Just Not Keen On Spiders
But I Am An Alligator
I've Won, No I've Won, No I've Won
Snow Is My Favorite and My Best
But Excuse Me That Is My Book 
We Honestly Can Look After Your Dog
My Wobbly Tooth Must Not Ever Never Fall Out 
Say Cheese!
I'm Really Ever So Not Well
This Is Actually My Party
I Can Do Anything That's Everything All on My Own
I Want to Be Much More Bigger Like You

The DVD'S of the Charlie and Lola shows from Disney Playhouse can be purchased HERE.

There are also games and other "fun stuff" on the CHARLIE AND LOLA WEBSITE.