We just released our Valentine’s Day Books to Love picture book list! It’s full of old favorites as well as some new to us- and hopefully to you!- titles as well! If you scroll to the bottom you’ll find a bonus mini list of some of our favorite love focused picture books that fall just outside the Valentine’s Day theme. Some of these happen to be my favorite picture books period. Do you know which ones?
As always, if it’s on an RA book list, we read it before we recommended it. This just seems logical to us.
If you have a favorite Valentine’s Day book that isn’t on the list please share it in the comments so we can check it out!
I had the pleasure this week of reading an advanced reader copy of Winter of the Bees by Angela R. Watts.
In her debut middle grade fiction, Angela R. Watts has delivered a magical living science book about bees and belonging. This book will do for bees what The City Under the Back Steps did for ants.
Not shying away from the hard, painful insecurities many kids would rather not talk about, Winter of the Bees will make a beautiful read aloud providing an invitation to those harder necessary discussions.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the wise words it brings to the greater conversation around belonging, grief, and being loved for who we are not what we do.
This diverse book includes discussions on death and dying and the author does not shy away from her Christian faith in including the hope believers have when facing earthly partings.
There is a dearth of books on the themes this book tackles being written by Christian authors. I am appreciative that Angela stepped up to the plate.
There are three days left in this book’s Kickstarter. It is already funded so there’s no concern around it not going to print, but Kickstarter is always a good way to support an author and give a project a solid launch.
Expect to hear more about this book this year on the Stories from the Ashes podcast. It made me cry and I want you to read it so we can talk about it together!
M. L. Farb was a season one guest on the Stories from the Ashes podcast. Amanda and I have thoroughly enjoyed reading through her fiction catalogue this past year.
I am excited to share that she has started the process of recording her books as audiobooks with Vasilisa first in the queue!
Maria has also, so generously, extended a discount to our Reshelving Alexandria community on purchases made through her website!
She’s offering us 50% off ebooks and 30% of paperbacks. You guys- she’s basically giving us these stories! I am so touched by her generosity to our home libraries!
For ebooks use the code “RAebook” and for paperbacks “RAdiscount”.
There’s a second Kickstarter you need to know about in the LAST 24 HOURS right now.
Rebecca K. Reynold’s has finished her 4 year quest of translating Spenser’s epic poem, The Faerie Queene, into prose.
I have always wanted to read this grandmother of all the modern books I love most but have been put off by the ancient language. This is going to be so good for me and our high schooler to read through together to get a solid handle on the story before attacking the original text. There are sample pages, audio, and other writeups on the Kickstarter campaign page that will answer all your questions but don’t wait too long to make your decision!
And did I mention the illustrations??? Oh… the illustrations!