May Caldecott Calendar: Jewish-American Heritage Month & Mother's Day

Goodness gracious I'm running late this month! I wasn't realizing I'd end up with three Caldecott posts for April and in the meantime, a certain small someone decided naps aren't really his thing anymore, so let's just say we've been in an adjustment period around here. Better late than never, right? 

All of my posts for this project (including updates) can be found here or by clicking on 'Caldecott Calendar' in the header up top. My personal favorites will be marked with an asterisk (*). This post may be updated to correct errors, omissions, etc. as we go. Let me know in the comments if you notice anything that should be fixed or added! 

Jewish-American Heritage Month

Golem by David Wisniewski
1997 Caldecott Medal 
Picture book re-telling of a Jewish legend.



Joseph Had a Little Overcoat written & illustrated by Simms Taback
2000 Caldecott Medal
Based on a Yiddish folk song. 



Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins written by Eric A. Kimmel & illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman
1990 Caldecott Honor
May is certainly not the right time of year for Hanukkah, but I'll include it here as well as the December list.


Mother's Day

A Chair for My Mother, written & illustrated by Vera B. Williams

1983 Caldecott Honor

Rosa helps save up money to buy her mother a comfortable chair after their home is destroyed in a fire.

The Boy of the Three-Year Nap, written by Dianne Snyder & illustrated by Allen Say

1989 Caldecott Honor
A clever mother outwits her lazy son.

Mr. Rabbit and the Lovely Present, written by Charlotte Zolotow & illustrated by Maurice Sendak

1963 Caldecott Honor

Mr. Rabbit helps a little girl figure out what to get her mother for her birthday.

My Mother is the Most Beautiful Woman in the World, written by Becky Reyher & illustrated by Ruth Chrisman Gannett
1946 Caldecott Honor
A sweet story based on a Russian proverb.

New-to-Me Blog: Kids Books Worth Reading

I've been wanting to share some links to Kids Books Worth Reading in my last couple of Links I'm Loving Lately round-ups, but thought they really deserved their own post. I found this new-to-me blog via Everyday Reading's How to Make Using the Library Less Stressful series. For that series, Janssen tackled common library challenges with the help of a bunch of other book-loving parents, librarians, bloggers, and podcasters. Kids Books Worth Reading was on the list of contributors and piqued my interest because it's run by Janssen's mom!

From her blog description:

"Are you looking for Children and Young Adult books that are worth reading? You’ve come to the right place! I have a master list of over 700 titles to share. My purpose with this blog is to share book titles that most parents today have either forgotten about or never heard of in the first place."

Carole is a mom and grandma who homeschooled for 15 years and has a degree in English Literature. She has said her posts are recommendations rather than "reviews" and typically includes a description of the book and some thoughts on why she recommends it. She also lists reading level, number of pages, publication year, and any relevant awards. Posts tend to be short and I just love that! I like both the blog and Instagram account, but they do share roughly the same information, depending on where you might prefer to follow along.

There is a definite focus on older books and that might not be for everyone. I do not feel there is an intention to make any kind of judgement against newer books or books not featured on this site -- she's just sharing under-the-radar books from her extensive reading experience with her family she hopes others will love too. (And there are some newer titles, they just aren't as prevalent). I particularly love learning about older Newbery titles I haven't seen before as well as reading recommendations for books I own but haven't read yet -- seeing another vote in their favor gives those titles a little boost on the old TBR stack! This site has been a great addition to my children's book resources.

To give a feel for the site, I thought I'd share some links to a sampling of posts I've enjoyed:

Books I Bought After Seeing Them Featured:

*The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs by Betty G. Birney (2005)

*Profiles in Courage by John F. Kennedy (1955)

*Fog Magic by Julia L. Sauer (1943)

*Mary on Horseback: Three Mountain Stories by Rosemary Wells (1998)

Books I Already Own (and really should read)

*The Time Cat: The Remarkable Journeys of Jason and Gareth by Lloyd Alexander (1963)

*Tales from Dimwood Forest series by Avi (1995 – 2009)

*Shakespeare Stories & Shakespeare Stories II by Leon Garfield (1985 & 1994) 

*Redwall Series (22 volumes!!) by Brian Jacques (1986 – 2011)

Books Added to My Wishlist

*The Year of Miss Agnes by Kirkpatrick Hill (2000)

*The Light at Tern Rock by Julia L. Sauer (1951)

Check out more:

Kids Books Worth Reading

@childrensbooksworthreading on Instagram

And, of course, I love Everyday Reading too!