Perfect Pairing Heads Back to School

Happy September! Happy Two-fer Tuesday!  Happy Back to School!

With temperatures moderating and the scent of fresh-pressed cider in the air, September promises Fall harvests and new beginnings in school. I couldn’t think of a better time to add this new feature on my blog – two picture books that, like certain foods and beverages, are a Perfect Pairing.

Think milk and cookies.

Image reproduced from freeimages.com

Tea and scones.

Image reproduced from freeimages.com

Red wine and chocolate (you may want to save that for when the kids are asleep!).

Image reproduced from freeimages.com

You get the idea.

In upcoming Tuesday posts, I’ll be highlighting some picture books that I think are a Perfect Pairing (my blog, my choice!):

• Some I’ve read but haven’t reviewed;
• Others I’ve reviewed, but they reminded me of other books that I thought you’d enjoy reading with them;
• Some are similar in some way (subject, style, illustrator – you name it);
• while others are different in one or more ways (fiction/non-fiction, diverse/non-diverse, animal/human characters, and so forth).

So many possibilities – like a blank notebook at the start of a new class!

I hope caregivers, teachers, librarians, and other picture book lovers will find some new (to them) picture books here, read these books together, and perhaps offer suggestions of other books they’d read with one or both of these Perfect Pairs. And if you have a picture book that you’d like to see paired – including one of your own, please let me know!

Since it’s Back to School time, let’s start off in school, shall we?

ADVENTURES TO SCHOOL: Real-Life Journeys of Students from Around the World

Authors: Baptiste & Miranda Paul

Illustrator: Isabel Muñoz

Publisher/Date: little bee books, an imprint of Bonnier Publishing USA/2018

Ages: 4-8+

Themes: diversity; #ReadYourWorld; non-fiction (including informative sidebars, authors’ note, and a select bibliography); school 

Short Synopsis (from Goodreads):

Kids around the world get to school in unique ways. Take a peek inside this book and see how they reach their destinations!

Children all around the world go to school. Whether they’re from Japan, Ukraine, Ethiopia, or the United States, all students have the desire to learn about the world and shape the future. In Bhutan, children walk for three hours to make it to school, and in Pakistan, children travel by rickshaw. Some children in China must climb a heaven ladder, while children in Nepal must walk over a wire bridge. The treks of these students are unique, extraordinary, and even dangerous, and they signify the common determination, perseverance, and sense of adventure shared by young people around the world.

Read along as students from thirteen different nations embark on their journeys to get to school in the morning, and learn about the diverse landscapes and cultures of these countries along the way!

Read reviews at The Picture Book Buzz and Picture Books Help Kids Soar, and an interview with the Pauls at The Picture Book Buzz. 

ALL ARE WELCOME

Author: Alexandra Penfold
Illustrator: Suzanne Kaufmann
Publisher: Random House Children’s Books, 2018
Age: 4-8
Themes: diversity; inclusivity; kindness; school

Short Synopsis (from Goodreads):

A warm, welcoming picture book that celebrates diversity and gives encouragement and support to all kids.

Follow a group of children through a day in their school, where everyone is welcomed with open arms. A school where kids in patkas, hijabs, and yamulkes play side-by-side with friends in baseball caps. A school where students grow and learn from each other’s traditions and the whole community gathers to celebrate the Lunar New Year.

All Are Welcome lets young children know that no matter what, they have a place, they have a space, they are welcome in their school.

Read reviews at Julie Rowan-Zoch’s blog and The Picture Book Buzz, and learn the inspiration behind Suzanne Kaufmann’s creation of the poster that turned into this picture book at Pragmatic Mom’s blog.

I paired these books because they present universal scenes of traveling to and arriving at school. In Adventures to School, we meet a small sample of children from across the world who, as highlighted in this eye-opening book, undertake unique, at times strenuous, journeys that differ from the “usual” bus, car or walking journeys of most kids in the United States. In All Are Welcome, readers meet a fictional and diverse group of children happily arriving at an inclusive US school. But while the journeys and even some of the day-to-day experiences may differ, the joy of learning and desire for an education are universal, as evidenced in these paired picture books.

Looking for other back-to-school reads?

See a recent list in Horn Book and this review in the New York Times Book Review.