Favourite Children’s Picture Books We Read in October… Lightning Round 10/30

Amanda Jean Charlebois
6 days ago
5 min read

If I’m being honest, I am struggling to write these posts. And I don’t want to give up either. Don’t get me wrong, our family is reading an average of 6 books a day. I’ve just kept a massive pile of all the ones we love and want to share! (Sorry library...)

So here it is. No deep insight. No seasonal books. No theme or connection. Just books… from October. Just books. Good books. To fill the days and the darker evening sunsets. To capture these quiet childhood moments. And to give them to fellow readers like you.

After the Fall

Dan Santat

1/10

What a reinventive story! How Humpty Dumpty Got Back Up Again. Probably one of my favourite books to date. This book not only has a moral lesson of overcoming your fears, but there are some really funny moments in the illustrations to entertain adults. Aka “bland” and “cardboard” cereal vs “free toy” and “sugar frosted sugar”. I won’t give away the end, but keep in mind that Humpty is… an egg.

I decided I was going to climb that wall.

In the Darkness of the Night

Emily Rand

2/10

As our son’s imagination begins to unwind during the nighttime hours, we picked up this book to discover the sights and sounds that continue on after dark. That life goes on and the scary noises aren’t so scary after all. I’ve really been into urban imagery these days and this was a great stylistic book for just that. One of my favourite sounds that author describes is the clatter of dishes being washed downstairs. It brought such a childhood comfort, remembering my lola being awake and washing the dishes while I slept.

The house is now tidy, the toys put away. It’s the end of another very long day.

Tricky

Kari Rust

3/10

This book unpacks what it means to question your moral values, and that you can teach an old dog new tricks. A man and his dog took pleasure in stealing and playing tricks on other people. After someone shows forgiveness and grace after being played on, the dog has a change of heart, and eventually changes the heart of his owner.

And for the first time, Tricky realized that what they were doing was WRONG.

Rhoda’s Rock Hunt

Molly Beth Griffin/Jennifer A. Bell

4/10

I am always still surprised when we find a little gem of a storyline. Firstly, what kid doesn’t collect rocks?! Our house is full of new finds when we come home from camping adventures. (And also, if you haven’t already heard the song “I Collect Rocks” by Al Simmons… do it! It’s a family jam.) This book was so subtle in the idea of finding and collecting the things you love, without over consuming. To only carry the weight of what you can carry. And knowing when to let go of the things that are holding you down on the journey.

This pack was Rhoda’s to carry, and it was full of ROCKS.

In the Red Canoe

Leslie A. Davidson/Laura Bifano

5/10

Ok, maybe there is a slight theme to these books as we said goodbye to summer last month. This one is a sweet bedtime lullaby to serenade us through a Canadian wildlife canoe ride. Even the thought of paddling through the water brings a rhythmic beat to the words. Each turn of the page has a new spread that highlights animals we may see everyday, but narrated with a sense of wonder for the very common.

We don’t say much—we mostly look. He shows me everything. The watery world goes sliding by. Our paddles dip and swing.

Hawk Rising

Maria Gianferrari/Brian Floca

6/10

If you’re alright with showing your children the circle of life, this one is a great nature study on a predator of the skies. (Spoiler alert, the story does not personify a cute little squirrel character, but is written in as the prey, without being graphic.) The book offers an artistic mood to the storyline of a father hawk in search for food for his young ones, as the hours of the day slowly end. I also love a good book that offers animal facts at the back of the book, and hawks have some of the most impressive animal facts to learn.

Father Hawk perches and searches. Sun sinking. Daylight blinking. Chicks waiting.

The Runaway Belly Button

John Flannery/Mika Song

7/10

This one was an Arlo favourite. I have to admit, an author that makes a bellybutton the main character of a book is pretty bold. The ending is also a little bit cheeky if you catch my drift. But it’s a pretty funny storyline about hygiene and making sure you don’t miss anything when taking a bath. Everything became a runaway body part to our son after reading this. I’ll just have to read it one more time before we return it so that he learns to take baths…

But there was one other body part she tended to forget.

Not Your Typical Dragon

Dan Bar-el/Tim Bowers

8/10

This was a unique way of discussing identity with a humourous storyline. Crispin is a dragon that can't breathe fire. Everyone tries to fix him so he is "normal". His parents, teacher and even a knight try to help him become a "real" dragon and it leads to Crispin feeling unwanted. As we parent our son, this story was an eye opener to relinquishing parental expectations, as we discover that what may not be normal for other children, is actually extra-ordinary in him.

Crispin’s father stormed out of the house. “My son is not silly! He may not breathe fire but I certainly do!”

Today is a New Day

Justine Ramdas/Stella Maris

9/10

October brought on some wonderful gifts, this book being one of them. I was fortunate enough to meet a fellow picture book author at an out of town event. In a God moment of sitting at the same table, she gifted me one of her books. This is such a delightful poem that speaks to the light inside each one of our hearts. God made us to co-create, and we just need to wake up to that spark each new day. This one is sure to speak to kids and parents alike, who want to take hold of each day as a gift to uncover.

Good things are in store - there’s more and there’s more. Keep moving forward, you’ll run and you’ll soar. Say hello to the spark, bright and early each day. It will light up your path and show you the way.

Flora and the Jazzers

Astrid Sheckels

10/10

As I step into the world of picture books, not only with my son, but as a career, I find myself coming across upcoming books that I am anticipating the launch of. This is THE book to date. Aside from a good ‘step-into-your calling’ storyline, I just could not wait to gobble up this unique “Cinderella” story, with all of the delicious detail in the illustrations. What was even more fun was that I won a free copy of this book during the publisher’s launch day live broadcast! (Thank you Waxwing Books!) Flora is sure to win your hearts and end up on display on your bookshelves.