If I had to find a common thread in this year's end of year BOOK + GIFT list, I think it would be *JOY! (Which by the way, JUMP FOR JOY by Karen Gray Ruelle and Hadley Hooper was a book I admired this year for its wordplay, heart, and the art featuring black and white collages. Sticks and leaves for a gift? Maybe. Maybe not.) Honestly, I needed to find joy. Maybe you did too? Welcome to your joyful fix!
Like this LED rainbow light-up swing + A lyrical picture book = One of my favorite BOOK + GIFT pairings of the year! Can you guess what's the lyrical picture book paired with this gift?
Before revealing the answer and the entire 2024 BOOK + GIFT Picture Book List, let's review our year with ALL the perfect pairings you should add to your holiday shopping list!
Nine debuts (8 Picture Books + 1 Board Book) have been featured on BOOK + GIFT this year!
A Gift for Nai Nai + Materials to Crochet Nai Nai's Hat
Frankenstein's Matzah: A Passover Parody + Ooze Labs Chemistry Set
Miss MacDonald Has a Farm + My Little Garden
I Am a Thundercloud + Rainbow Dreams 3D Coloring Set
Love Grows Here + Fabulous Flowers Paper Blossoms Kit
Erno Rubik and His Magic Cube + The Original Rubik's Cube
Sharing Shalom + Wooden Family Tree Kit
Hanukkah Hippity-Hop + Hop and Squeak Pogo Stick
Lupita's Brown Ballet Slippers + Wooden Ballet Dancer Ornament
Plus, Our Second Pop-Up Party featured 10 additional BOOK + GIFTS!
OUR ROOF IS BLUE + 4M Weather Science Kit
MOONLIGHT MEMORIES + Personalized Memory Book
AN ACCIDENTAL HERO: A MOSTLY TRUE WOMBAT STORY + Australian Nature Tube
ANZU AND THE ART OF FRIENDSHIP + Origami Paper
SQUAWK OF SPANISH + Spanish See and Spell
BEAUTIFUL NOISE: THE MUSIC OF JOHN CAGE + Jingle Sticks
BUTTERNUT & BUTTERCUP + Tea Party Set
THE OFRENDA THAT WE BUILT + Miniature Wooden DIY Ofrenda
I THINK I THINK A LOT + Color Yourself Thank You Cards
I SEE COLOR + Crayola Colors of the World
And two special editions of BOOK + GIFT featuring creators Shinsuke Yoshitake and Katey Howes.
I won't make you wait any longer...Did you guess the lyrical picture book featured in our first pairing with the LED rainbow light-up swing? (answer: TOUCH THE SKY!) Check it out below and the rest of the year-end 2024 BOOK + GIFT Picture Book List!
The 2024 BOOK + GIFT Picture Book List
"When he tipped his head back, all he saw was sun and sky and blue, blue, blue."
TOUCH THE SKY by Stephanie V.W. Lucianovic and Chris Park
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"But he also cried when he was so happy he couldn't help but weep with joy!"
MOO HOO by Audrey Perrott and Ross Burach
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"Susan the duck was feeling a bit unlucky. The roller skates she ordered online were two sizes too big."
LUCKY DUCK by Greg Pizzoli
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"There was something that didn't seem right about this dragon."
RORY THE REMARKABLE DRAGON by Kathryn Rammell
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"Meet me at the playground!"
MY BLOCK LOOKS LIKE by Janelle Harper and Frank Morrison
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"Nothing can squish me if I'm already squished, right?"
THE SQUISH by Breanna Carzoo
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"Anyone might confuse the ranch where the horses live for just a regular house, but in the backyard there are stalls and stalls of horses."
MY DADDY IS A COWBOY by Stephanie Seales and C.G. Esperanza
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"I love the rhythm of being home."
BEING HOME by Traci Sorell and Michaela Goade
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"Gambatte! thought Wat. Just do my best. For my team. For my community."
WAT TAKES HIS SHOT: The Life & Legacy of Basketball Hero Wataru Misaka by Cheryl Kim and Nat Iwata
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"All the money I send you to spend it for the family in clothing or something to eat."
GUTS FOR GLORY: The Story of Civil War Soldier Rosetta Wakeman by Joanna Lapati
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"And, in his free time, plotting to take over the world with his villainous devices."
IMPOSSIBLE POSSUMS by Justin Colón and James Rey Sanchez
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"Nice try! It's metal!"
CAMPINGLAND by Ame Dyckman and James Burks
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"You're a rhythmic, rhyming prodigy."
THE BOOK THAT ALMOST RHYMED by Omar Abed and Hatem Aly
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"And 3 dragons boarded a bus to Wisconsin to play football for the Green Bay Packers."
100 MIGHTY DRAGONS ALL NAMED BROCCOLI by David LaRochelle and Lian Cho
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(Not a Packers fan? How about a surfboard, Twister game, heavy metal band music/equipment, tiny pink poodle toy, sunglasses, rocket model, etc. This book has a plethora of gift ideas!)
*You may be wondering, where's the joy in a Civil War soldier story? I was absolutely floored by the amount of talent and research the author-illustrator Joanna Lapati went into to create not just the scratchboard art, but also by literally joining a troop as a Civil War reenactor and traveling where Rosetta Wakeman was a Union soldier. That amount of dedication to bring that high level of authenticity as a picture book creator is inspiring. Just take a look at the glossary and endpapers and that would be enough. Joy can be found where you look for it.
ICYMI
It makes my heart happy being a small part of authors' and illustrators' debuts by showcasing them on BOOK + GIFT. If you are debuting in 2025, please consider allowing me the honor of promoting your book here! Just fill out the Google Form as soon as you are ready! If you are previously published and want to join a BOOK + GIFT POP-UP PARTY in 2025, be on the lookout for information in 2025.
Thanks to everyone who subscribes to BOOK + GIFT and receives monthly/bi-monthly emails featuring all of these amazing creators. I know your time is precious and I am thrilled you allow me to spend some time sharing book and gift pairings with you!
YOU ARE A GIFT!
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