‘Tis the time of year when advance copies of our new fall books begin trickling into the office, and I wish I could bring every one of you here in person to leaf through them and chat over delicious baked goods and lemonade. However, since apparating is not yet possible outside of Harry Potter, a virtual preview will have to do.

But first, some virtual desserts to go with:
And now let us get on with our program.

SEASIDE DREAM, by Janet Costa Bates and illustrated by Lambert Davis, September, Ages 6-10

This lovely picture book about a girl and her grandmother won a New Voices Award Honor from Lee & Low when it was first submitted, so it’s exciting to see it as a real book. It’s about a young girl, Cora, who struggles to find the perfect gift for her grandmother, just in time for a birthday beach party.

Cora’s grandmother is from Cape Verde, a country off the coast of Africa that I knew little about before this book. It’s a lovely and unique culture. But what I like most about Seaside Dream is that it reflects an experience common to all immigrants, no matter where they come from originally: a loneliness for the people and places they left behind. At the end of the story, Cora finds a perfect way to ease this loneliness for her grandmother.

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