Dad's Bookshelf: May 2020
It’s the last day of May and it’s high time I did the newest edition of Dad’s Bookshelf - our monthly recap of the picture books we’ve fallen in love with recently. With Mother’s Day recently passed, you’ll probably see that there is a little bit of a noticeable theme going on too.
Two of the three books on Dad’s Bookshelf this month are amazing picture books about moms. One of them - Saturday - came out last year, and we recently ranked it the very best picture book about moms. And the other wonderful mom book on this particular list - Who’s Your Real Mom? - actually doesn’t release until next week, so this is a little bit of a sneak peek at what I already think might be one of the best picture books of 2020.
And the last book that I’ve been very excited about is another brand new one for us - first translated from the original Hebrew into English this month. It’s called Bear and Fred, and it’s a spectacular, powerful true story about the Holocaust. It’s capable of having a huge emotional impact, but it’s entirely age-appropriate as well. I simply couldn’t recommend it more.
Read on for a closer look at all three of these amazing picture books. I hope you enjoy this glance at the books we’ve been getting into and enjoying recently, and I hope it might help you find some new favorites. And don’t forget to let us know what your family has been reading in the comments!
Dad’s Bookshelf is a continuing, monthly series featuring the kids books we are most excited about each month. The series is named after the real life bookshelf we have in our home, where I keep all of my favorite picture books of all time. While the books we share on Dad’s Bookshelf are often new releases, it’s also not uncommon for us to be excited about an older book we just discovered.
Disclosure: Some of the links in this article are affiliate links that will lead you to view the books’ listings on Amazon or IndieBound.
Who’s Your Real Mom?
Written by Bernadette Green and Illustrated by Anna Zobel
Scribble is the publishing company originally from Australia that published one of our favorite picture books of all time - All the Ways to Be Smart. So I’m very happy to keep an eye on everything they put out now with the new Scribble US. So far their stamp of approval is a very good sign it’s a special picture book.
Who’s Your Real Mom? left us feeling very impressed. It’s a perfect example of a book that could be both an important window or a mirror. Many kids out there with two mothers are going to see themselves in this picture book - perhaps the first time they see their family in a book. And many other kids are going to get a personal window to witness the love you find in families of all shapes and sizes - much like another one of our favorite books ever, A Family is a Family is a Family.
The story is basically a conversation between two kids. One of the children has two mothers, and the other wants to know which one is her real mom. And he wants to know whose belly she was in. And I think you can probably guess that her answer is a very firm “both are my real mom.” But the genius of the book is more than just her endearing description of her love, it’s also the brilliant imagination she displays with her answers when her friend just doesn’t get it.
Saturday
Written and Illustrated by Oge Mora
Saturday is a beautiful book that captures the love and magic of being a parent better than anything I’ve ever read. And that’s not hyperbole. It’s a brilliant and beautifully crafted book, and even with the publishing world’s long history of famous picture books about children, Saturday very deservedly sits atop our list of Mother’s Day books.
Saturday is so named because it’s a very special day for this mother and daughter. Because the mother works 6 days a week, Saturday is the only day of the week that they get to spend together. They get their hair done, they go to the park - they make elaborate plans and look forward to them all week. It’s honestly a very sweet and familiar setup that many parents can relate to.
But this Saturday, absolutely everything seems to go wrong. I don’t want to give too much away, but it ends up being one of the most heartwarming interactions between parent and child I’ve ever read. There’s nothing more important than the time we spend with our kids, and that makes this book very special.
Bear and Fred: A World War II Story
Written by Iris Argaman, Translated by Annette Appel, and Illustrated by Avi Ofer
Bear and Fred was offered as one of the free choices for Kindle First Reads recently, and I pretty much always choose the picture book when they offer one. And if I really love it, I always end up buying a hardcover copy of the book as well, as was the case with Bear and Fred. It absolutely blew me away and made me cry, and I immediately bought a hard copy to share with the kids.
Bear and Fred is the true story of Fred Lessing and his stuffed bear, who survived the Holocaust in Holland by splitting up from their family and going into hiding. The story is told from the perspective of the bear, and this turns out to be a brilliant artistic decision that captures the utter confusion that a young child would feel in such a situation.
The book obviously covers a very emotionally-charged, intense, and important topic, but if you have any reservations of sharing it with your kids, rest-assured that I would tell you that it’s very age-appropriate - even for our 4-year-old. Because of the deftness and care in the storytelling, I frankly couldn’t imagine a better introduction to the Holocaust for children.
When I imagine young Fred in such a situation, and consider how important his bear was to him when he was all alone, it brings me to tears to hear the very true epilogue of a much-older Fred asking Bear’s permission to be donated to the Yad Vashem Museum so that he could tell their story to the children who visited. Up to that point, Fred and Bear had still never parted and I can’t get over how sad and beautiful that is.
What books has your family been reading this month? Have you read any of the picture books on Dad’s Bookshelf? Let us know in the comments!
