Change
new seasons, new rhythms, new books
We’ve been talking to my grandson about his little mother’s day out program that will start up again in a few weeks, and about the new baby sister coming in September, both big changes to his only-child, summer-days life! We can’t avoid change, to grow it must happen, but it can be hard. What better way to prepare for something new than by reading a book and entering a world where someone else does it first, and you see how it all turns out just fine. Or not. But either way, you’ll be okay.
Whether it’s a new sister, new routine, new town or new friends, whether you’re feeling prickly or uneasy or just plain scared, I hope these books help ease you and your kids into whatever new is in your future.
Baby Steps by Kimberly Derting, illustrated by Shiho Pate
One of the biggest changes a kid can encounter is a new sibling, and this book shows the good, the bad, and the stinky in short, two word phrases for even the youngest kids. The older brother has to wait to play soccer while the baby breast feeds, and the baby kicks down his block city. But then Baby chews. Baby coos. Her cuteness wins him over and brother plays with his sister until, Baby wiggles. Baby giggles. As his sister grows, the brother watches her learn to walk, runs to comfort her when she falls, and takes her hand as she takes more steps. It’s a sweet, keep-it-real new sibling book that we’ve read again and again around here.
Nobody Hugs a Cactus by Carter Goodrich
This book is for the little introvert out there whose quiet day is sometimes interrupted by an eager friend who wants to play. And for the extrovert that needs help understanding that it takes a while for some folks to warm up. Hank is a cactus who lives in a pot, in a window, in the desert. It was hot, dry, peaceful, and quiet. Just the way Hank liked it. He wants nothing to do with Rosie the Tumbleweed (she’s adorable and not easily offended), the tortoise, the jackrabbit who calls him Prickles, the coyote, or the long-legged, sassy cowboy who comments, “Seems to me, somebody needs a hug. Too bad nobody hugs a cactus.” Here lies the turning point.
When an owl perches on the adobe wall above him, Hank says, “If you’re looking for a hug . . . I guess I could give you one.” Hank is softening, but the owl isn’t interested in hugs, and for the first time, Hank feels lonely. And sad. The wind picks up, blowing a styrofoam cup that sticks to Hank’s face. His arms are too short to get it off. Hilarious.
Rosies tumbles by again, helps get the cup off, then tumbles off before Hank can thank her. He feels bad about it, so he grows a flower to give her. She loves it, and gives Hank that hug he never realized he wanted. Then comes my favorite line. It felt so nice Hank didn’t want to let go. And as things turned out, he couldn’t. Rosie and Hank had become stuck together. More hilarity! Such a great little book, and the illustrations are sweet and funny, too.
Mr. Putter and Tabby Fly the Plane by Cynthia Rylant and Arthur Howard
Technically, this isn’t a picture book. It’s an easy reader. But easy readers are great for kids who are willing to sit a little longer but still need a lot of pictures, because every page has pictures and the text is still short. This one is particularly great because of the author and illustrator, and it’s a series so if you like Mr. Putter and Tabby, there’s more. It begins with this: Mr. Putter loved toys. He was old, and he knew that he wasn’t supposed to love toys anymore. But he did. I just love Mr. Putter. Tabby is his cat, and she loves Mr. Putter, but not toys. Such great, inherent conflict from the get-go.
One day, Mr. Putter buys a toy airplane, which freaks Tabby out. Mr. Putter makes her tea with cream and a warm English muffin, but she still doesn’t like the plane. It turns out when he tries to fly the plane, it seems broken. Tabby is fine with that, until she sees that Mr. Putter is sad. Finally, he fixes it, and by then, enough time has passed that Tabby is okay with the plane. Sometimes, a little time is what you need to get used to change.
Kids come running to watch the little plane fly, and Mr. Putter ends up giving his beloved plane to a little boy who loves planes as much as he did when he was little. So sweet. Mr. Putter and Tabby return to their routines, side by side, satisfied and content. Sigh. It’s such a great little happily ever after.
The Gardener by Sarah Stewart, illustrated by David Small
I bought this book many moons ago, and fell in love with this author/illustrator team. The text is not for the very young and wiggly, but the story can be told by narrating for the youngest child, and older kids and adults will love the story, told in series of letters written by Lydia Grace Finch. At first the letters are addressed to Uncle Jim. It’s 1935 and Lydia is leaving her home in the country, leaving her mom and dad and grandma, to go live with Uncle Jim in the city for a while until things get better. It’s a huge change.
We learn that Lydia knows a lot about gardening, but not baking (Uncle Jim owns a bakery). Once she’s on the train, the letters are addressed home. There’s a great wordless double page spread when she arrives in the huge, cavernous train station in the city, and we finally meet Uncle Jim with his big bushy mustache and furrowed brow. We see Lydia’s spunk as she joyfully writes home about the empty window boxes. She sees them as opportunities, a place to plant seeds. Even though Uncle Jim doesn’t smile, not yet, she’s happy. She’s also determined to make her uncle smile. She writes him a poem at Christmas and helps him in the bakery where she meets Ed and Emma Beech, a couple who are Uncle Jim’s friends and employees.
Maybe you’ve guessed it, but it’s still satisfying to read how Lydia wins the heart of her grumpy uncle. Though we never see him smile (but maybe he does under that bushy mustache) he grows tender and his love for Lydia is evident. Over time, his bakery fills with customers just as his window boxes overflow with colorful flowers. There’s another spectacular wordless spread as we see what’s been hinted at (I won’t ruin the surprise), and Lydia returns home a little older and wiser, changed, but still as spunky and sweet as ever.
We’ve had big changes to our empty nester life this summer, with a couple kids and their spouse/fiance’s coming home to roost for a couple months. One was home from grad school, the other transplanted for a couple months when they found mold in their apartment. It’s been awesome to reconnect in little snatches day-to-day, play games in the evenings, and fall into some unexpected rich conversations. It’s been a change to our schedules, clutter level and grocery quantities, but it’s been so, so worth it. Then Rebeka came, living with us the past couple weeks, and again, it’s been a change to schedule. Less writing time, but more of all the things that give me something to write about. One of my favorite writers, Katharine Paterson, once said about writing and getting published:
"It might have happened sooner had I had a room of my own and fewer children, but somehow I doubt it. For as I look back on what I have written, I can see that the very persons who have taken away my time and space are those who have given me something to say."
Amen and amen.
About me: My name is Meredith Davis, and I’m an award winning writer of middle grade books, a former indie bookseller, founder of the Austin chapter of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and graduate of Vermont College of Fine Arts with an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults. Find teaching resources and author visit information on my website at www.meredithldavis.com. Mother to three, Nana to one and counting, I live with my husband and a crazy doodle in Austin, Texas.
I love the quote from Katharine Paterson. Immediately saved it. Thank you!