Reading with my son, Isaac, was one of the first special activities we did together. He was born in August 2020 (peak COVID). All the things I looked forward to doing together, like trips to the library, mommy and me classes, and playdates with other babies, weren’t taking place and being a new parent was extremely isolating. Reading together was one of those things that helped bring the connection I desired. Then as a toddler, he’d bring me books or we’d pick out 5-10, and he would sit and be so attentive, pointing at different pictures. Reading is still one of our favorite things to do together and on his own1, and I’m proud of that.
During this time, I realized how much picture books are for the adults reading them as they are for the kids they’re reading to. The best ones tell a story, teach us something, or connect us to a feeling with very few words. And it’s just as much about the illustration style and colors, as the pictures can help convey ideas to children that are too big for their grasp on language. They’re a team.
All of a sudden, I was thinking of the stories I’d tell if I were a picture book author-illustrator. This ritual was one of the things that sent me down the path of learning and honing my skills as an artist so that one day I could tell my own stories.
All that said, I’m very excited to share some of our recent library checkouts in this new little series called checked out. In this series, I plan to share what we’re reading together. I hope you enjoy it!
Pig Town Party by Lian Cho
The title and cover art drew me in to Pig Town Party by Lian Cho. How could it not?! It turns out the main character has all the same questions I did, “What is Pig Town and what kind of party are we talking about?” The story is super fun and creative, and we’ve read it a bajillion times since checking it out a couple of weeks ago. We even brought it on vacation with us.
Lian uses so many different techniques to tell the story. She illustrated a bunch of little vignettes in a grid on a few pages to help show the story progression. Then you turn the page to a full spread. We love to take our time reading this one and look closely at all the details on each page, like all the costumes at the party!
There's a twist at the end, and it sparked a good conversation between me and Isaac (we love a teachable moment)! Anyways, we rate this book 10 out of 10 piggies!
You Will Always Have Me by Todd Parr
We’re huge Todd Parr fans. What’s not to love about his simple style and wonderful messages? When I saw You Will Always Have Me on the shelf, I had to pick it up. We’re on the edge of opening up our world a little bit more as Isaac transitions from our beloved preschool to his new school for Kindergarten this fall. We’re both having big feelings about it, and reading this book was the warm hug we both needed. Todd’s illustrations sometimes make us giggle, and the message is straightforward and warm. I totally didn’t cry reading the last page2.
If you’ve made it this far, thank you. I’m eager to hear what you’re reading, I mean it. Please share below!
He can’t read on his own yet but he’ll sit at the table and study the pictures.
Dear reader, I cried.
So glad to hear you two loved the book!!! Thank you for reading it!!! 💕💕