Reading with Z: Attempted holiday edition

Author

Jordyn Jefferson
December 18, 2024

As a picture book writer, lifelong reader, employee at a literacy nonprofit, and parent of almost-two-year-old Z, I spend a LOT of time thinking about children’s books. Welcome to my (and Z’s) semi-regular review of the must-reads for parents, kiddos, and picture book writers.

ISSUE 2: The Best-Laid Plans

I had big dreams for this second issue of Reading with Z. I was not only going to do in-depth reviews of our recent library reads, but also dive into some excellent picture books we’ve added to our permanent collection recently AND include a very detailed holiday guide.

But what actually happened was I threw out my back so badly I had to call 911 two days before Thanksgiving. Then Z was home sick for an entire week. And then I caught what she had and was out of commission for another week. So instead, I’ll do just a taste of all of those wonderful things I intended. Enjoy!

Nostalgia Explosion

Years ago, I shipped two Rubbermaid containers of books from my mom’s house to Colorado (thanks, media mail!). I couldn’t resist including our vintage Mr. Men and Little Miss books in those bins, and it has officially paid off. Z carries them around in stacks, spreads them all over the floor, and insists on hearing random snippets from them throughout the day.

We had about 20, and I put out a call on Facebook for more. The highlight of my week was a local mom reaching out to say her kids were selling theirs. I brought home THIRTY-SIX books, and Z’s delight in exploring more stacks of the Roger Hargreaves classics has been the brightest light in a very hard couple of weeks.

A little girl sits on a coach holding a stack of Roger Hargreaves bookes. She is surrounded by many more.

Library Highlight: Tomorrow Most Likely

I don’t know how I missed that Dave Eggers has published quite a few picture books! We picked up two of them—Tomorrow Most Likely, illustrated by Lane Smith, and Faraway Things, illustrated by Kelly Murphy—at our last library visit. The latter is good, but I feel weird about recommending a book where a kid runs around with a real sword. Tomorrow Most Likely, though, is vibrantly illustrated and very grounded, but just whimsical enough to get the occasional surprise laugh. It immediately went on Z’s Christmas wish list.

An illustration of a young black boy wearing a yellow hat and shirt, staring at a mythical creature that looks sort of like a bird mixed with a snake, wearing a paper boat as a hat.

We also loved Saturday Magic: A Hoodoo Story by local authors Nyasha Williams and Kenda Bell-Spruill, illustrated by Sawyer Cloud. It’s too long for a kid Z’s age, so we split it over a few nights, but it would be wonderful for an older crowd. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Williams and am constantly impressed by how she works to expand the lived experiences we see in picture books. Saturday Magic is no exception.

There were no bad picks in this batch, so I’ll run through the rest very quickly:

  • How to Be a Lion by Ed Vere: Cute social-emotional learning message and sweet story of friendship.

  • Snail Mail by Samantha Berger, illustrated by Julia Patton: Snails delivering mail. Adorable.

  • How to Draw a Brave Chicken by Ethan T. Berlin, illustrated by Jimbo Matison: A fun romp that serves as a testimonial to the power of creativity.

  • Good Night Thoughts by Max Greenfield, illustrated by James Serafino: Another surprise picture book writer is New Girl actor Greenfield. I appreciate that it explores anxiety, but felt it could have done more to empower the reader.

  • All the Books by Hayley and John Rocco: Squirrel who loves her books discovers what a library is. Relatable, cute, overly didactic.

  • Ooko by Esmé Shapiro: Gorgeous illustrations, fun story with fairly minimalist text. Personally, I wanted a bit more, but I know a lot of people will love the pared-down style.

My bestie visited for Thanksgiving, and, as we typically do, we hit up a couple of local bookstores. For Small Business Saturday, The Bookies had Colorado Book Award finalists in the store, talking about their books and signing copies. After talking to author Carmela LaVigna Coyle, I picked up her book Something Spectacular, illustrated by Carly Allen-Fletcher.

The illustrations are captivating, but what I love most is the unique way LaVigna Coyle structures the story. It starts with “272 million years before she found it ...” and walks us through all the things that had to happen before a little girl could find a spectacular rock. Absolutely loved this one.

We see water and sand, lit up by the sun. A bright circle highlights where the rock is forming. The text reads, "272 million years before she found it... It began beneath the bottom of a forgotten sea, as part of something spectacular."

Between The Bookies and a trip to West Side Books, we also picked up a few other great reads:

  • Insha’Allah, No, Maybe So by Rhonda and Nadia Roumani, illustrated by Olivia Aserr: If you know any Arabic, you know how impossible it is to interpret “insha’Allah,” a phrase that means “if Allah wills it” and that is used by parents around the world to say “yeah, no.” I appreciated the mother-daughter dynamic in this story, as the mother explains why she said the phrase in certain contexts and the duo make a plan for all the best things to happen … insha’Allah.

  • Adela’s Mariachi Band by Denise Vega, illustrated by Erika Rodriguez Medina: My writing mentor and teacher extraordinaire Denise Vega published this earlier this year. This book is full of movement and sound, and it’s so very satisfying to watch little Adela find her place in her family’s beloved mariachi band.

  • How Does Santa Go Down the Chimney? by Mac Barnett, illustrated by John Klassen: I love Klassen’s illustrations, and they’re definitely the highlight of the book. Bonus: It’s a quick read at bedtime!

  • Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak: It’s just shameful that we didn’t already own a copy!

Last-Minute Christmas Gift Guide

If you’re looking for the perfect book for the little reader in your life, I’ve got you covered. I had intended to do a deeper dive than just glancing at Z’s bookshelf and mentally listing out favorites, but c’est la vie.

When in doubt, check out the “Inspiration” section of my website, because those are some of my all-time favorites. Of course, the books I’ve discussed in Reading with Z are also a good place to start! Beyond that, if you want …

Here’s hoping the world doesn’t go down in flames in 2025!

Keep up the good reading,

Jordyn Jefferson
Learn more about my writing at www.jordynjefferson.com.