New Picture Books! April 2024

 I LOVE picture books.  I love the short stories with big messages.  I love the gorgeous art work.  Picture books are such a great way to tell a story.  Here are two of my new favorites.

The first one is called A Hen for Izzy Pippik written by Aubrey Davis and illustrated by Marie LaFrance.  This is a folk story based on Jewish and Islamic traditional texts.  It's about Shaina, who is starts the lamenting the fact that the people in her community are struggling financially.  She's thinking about what to do when a hen comes up and pecks her toes.  It's not JUST a hen, it's a hen with emerald green feathers, gold speckles and a ruby red comb, gorgeous!  She doesn't know who this amazing hen belongs to, but she intends to find out.  She asks all the merchants in town and no one knows, but she finds a sign that says "Izzy Pippik Chicken and Eggs" next to  a broken wooden crate.  Shaina takes the chicken home and her family starts planning to eat the chicken, but Shaina objects.  When the chicken lays an egg, Shaina also says that they should not eat the eggs because they belong to Izzy Pippik.  Pretty soon, there are lots of eggs and then lots of baby chicks and then lots of chickens.  When Izzy finally shows up, his solution for what to do with the chickens is pretty great.  This is a really great story to talk about character (how you act when no one is looking) as well as respect (if YOU lost something, would you want the person who found it give it back?  Or is it finders keepers?) and generosity.  I really love the art work in this one too.  It has kind of an old fashioned feel, which is perfect for this wonderful folk tale.  It was actually published originally in 2012 but apparently is being re-released in May of 2024.

The second one is called Saving Delicia.  It's written by Laura Gehl and illustrated by Patricia Metola.  It's about Kari who likes listening to her neighbor, Otis's stories about the old days.  She's very fond of the fruit of the delicia tree, but sadly, there's only ONE delicia tree left.  There has been a blight that not only killed all the delicia trees, but any new delicia trees also succumb to the blight.  Scientists are working on a plan, but it's not coming quickly enough.  Kari has an idea to create a seed bank in a old refrigerator and she carefully saves some the delicia seeds as well as some of her other favorite seeds.  People start to bring her seeds and pretty soon she has a really big collection of so many seeds.  But, there are losses along the way but also gains-the scientists find a cure for the blight and Kari has the delicia seeds and soon, there are lots of delicia trees again.  The art work is bright and cheerful and very inviting.  This book will remind you of books like the Lorax by Dr. Seuss or Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney or The Tree Lady by H. Joseph Hopkins.  It's full of hope as well as planning for the future, that may give future scientists and gardeners ideas about what they should be saving for the future.