Thanksgiving is still months away, but it’s always the right season for a thankful heart. These beautiful books about the small pleasures of life pay tribute to the wonders in our own backyards — rocks, clouds, ants — and in our everyday experiences, from hats to traffic lights to bubble baths. Settle into these comforting reads with someone you treasure, and take a moment to count your blessings.
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“Partly Cloudy” by Deborah Freedman. (Ages 4-8. Viking. $18.99.)
Deborah Freedman’s soft-edged illustrations of two curious bunnies marveling at the clouds in the sky will make young readers want to reach out and pat them — as they marvel at the many forms clouds take (and even learn a bit about them).
Where one rabbit sees cotton candy, a cozy blanket or Rapunzel’s flowing hair, another sees cumulus, stratus and cirrus clouds. The two eventually decide that “we’re both right,” as they settle in to enjoy the show.
With the tale over, cloud-gazers get more information at the end of the book about the water cycle and cloud formation.
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“All the Rocks We Love” by Lisa Varchol Perron and Taylor Perron, illustrated by David Scheirer. (Ages 3-6. Rise x Penguin Workshop. $18.99.)
In this poetic exploration of the magic of rocks, there’s nothing wrong with looking down, because “a world of possibilities is waiting on the ground.” From stacking them to banging them, examining them and giving them away, these “countless treasures” are all around us.
At the end of the book, the shiny, sparkly, layered and fossil-filled rocks depicted in the illustrations get a closer look, with a guide to several types of rocks and how they are formed.
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“The Wonderful Wisdom of Ants” by Philip Bunting. (Ages 4-8. Crown Books for Young Readers. $17.99.)
They’re small, hungry and everywhere, and author-illustrator Philip Bunting sees plenty of lessons for humans in the lives of the planet’s 10 quadrillion ants. He’s not a scientist (as he reminds readers in his dedication), just a superfan who “believes that the answers to many of life’s questions can be found in your own backyard.”
Filled with easy-to-understand information about ants — and crawling with pictures of them — this colorful ode to the ubiquitous insects reminds readers that they could take a lesson from ants, who love “Family. Micronaps. Recycling. Helping others.” And, of course, “being caught on camera carrying stuff way bigger than they are.”
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“Thank You” by Jarvis. (Ages 3-7. Candlewick Press. $17.99.)
There’s so much to say thank you for that author-illustrator Jarvis’ red-hatted little boy could do it all day long — and then start all over again.
Filled with thank-yous that are sometimes sweet, sometimes silly and always heartfelt, this sublimely illustrated book doesn’t leave out dinosaurs, geese, hats, puddles or people: “I thank myself for being me. ‘Thank me very much,’ I say.”
Caroline Luzzatto has taught preschool and fourth grade. Reach her at luzzatto.bookworms@gmail.com.
