Dad's Bookshelf: November 2022
When we opened our children’s bookstore last month, we had a lot of fun going through all of the catalogs and ordering all of our favorite kids books to stock. But I also had a fantastic time hunting down new picture books to fill our shelves - books I had never heard of before.
After I got the hang of things, one of my favorite strategies was to look up all of the past books from an author or illustrator that created a book I adore. Another plan that works out really well is to go through the backlist catalogs of a favorite publisher - one who is very consistent with their quality. And that’s exactly how I ended up with two of the books on Dad’s Bookshelf this month.
The publisher of two of the books we’re featuring this month is Enchanted Lion - and it never ceases to amaze me how cool their books are. They are remarkably consistent with both their quality and their willingness to experiment. And they also happen to be the home of the translated works of Oyvind Torseter - who just so happens to have two books in this month’s crop.
I fell in love with his book called My Father’s Arms are a Boat a long while ago, and we even featured it on our list of our favorite picture books about dealing with death. And I was incredibly delighted to find that there were many more beautiful works of art by him out there, and I knew I wanted to carry them in the shop.
And the final book being featured this month is written by one of our favorite authors - Trudy Ludwig. She teased its release in our recent interview, and now it’s finally here. Somehow I managed to read it for the first time without knowing the story - only that it was about dealing with death, which has somehow become something a theme this month.
All of the books being featured this month are gorgeous and memorable works of art. And they might elicit powerful emotions and lead to meaningful conversations as well. Even the book that isn’t about death features some spooky and dark imagery. It’s a real dad’s favorite books kind of month! I hope you enjoy learning about them!
Dad’s Bookshelf is a continuing, monthly series featuring the kids books we are most excited about each month. The series is named after the real life bookshelf we have in our home, where I keep all of my favorite picture books of all time. While the books we share on Dad’s Bookshelf are often new releases, it’s also not uncommon for us to be excited about an older book we just discovered.
Disclosure: Calling the Wind was shared with us by the author - all thoughts and opinions are our own. Some of the links in this article are affiliate links that will lead you to view the books on Bookshop.org and Amazon.
Calling the Wind
Written by Trudy Ludwig and Illustrated by Kathryn Otoshi
I’ve always considered Trudy Ludwig to be one of the best champions of empathy out there - fighting the good fight to teach kids all over about the importance of kindness and thinking of others. Her words of wisdom helped me put some of my own priorities as a dad into words - and to communicate them with my own kids. So I always look forward to her next projects.
Calling the Wind just came out in October, and I knew it was about dealing with death - but I didn’t realize that it was inspired by the famous wind phone created by Itaru Sasaki in Japan. I first learned about it in The Phone Booth in Mr. Hirota’s Garden, and it’s a very beautiful and powerful symbol for a picture book about grief.
The collaboration between Ludwig and Kathryn Otoshi is very impressive here, because the book sometimes functions as a wordless picture book for much of the storytelling and the strong emotions. And the narration and dialogue is used very sparingly and very effectively. Plus, it’s even framed with a couple of beautiful haikus. It turned out to be a very special work of art about a family dealing with the loss of their mother, and it’s definitely one to remember!
The Most Beautiful Story
Written by Brynjulf Jung Tjonn and Illustrated by Oyvind Torseter
The second book about dealing with death that we’re featuring this month is called The Most Beautiful Story, and it was originally published in Norway and then translated by Kari Dickson. This is an example of being drawn to a book because of a favorite illustrator, and I readily admit I purchased it simply because Oyvind Torseter worked on it.
I didn’t even know this book was about death when I first picked it up. In fact, I wasn’t entirely sure what it was all about after I read it. This is a picture book that begs to be read and reread. It leaves room for interpretation and ambiguity, and it’s painfully beautiful.
It seems that the little girl’s brother has died in this book. But he still seems to ride along with her wherever she goes, because she carries his memory with her. And in this book she’s going down to the lake, where a mysterious woman appears to tell the story that the little girl wants to hear - the story about her brother. And the story brings him back to life. She can feel him breathing again.
In many ways this is one of the most emotionally powerful picture books about dealing with death that I’ve read yet. It’s very haunting and mysterious and quirky - and it makes an incredibly effective and unforgettable point about the saving power of stories.
The Heartless Troll
Written and Illustrated by Oyvind Torseter
I brought in some copies of The Heartless Troll for our store because of two things - Enchanted Lion and Oyvind Torseter. It seems I just can’t go wrong with either of those. And this book is very much up my alley. It’s a graphic novel/picture book hybrid that tells the old fairy tale about the troll who keeps his heart hidden - and the prince who is trying to save his brothers.
The thing I love about this book is that it’s a good old-fashioned fairy tale and adventure story. It’s quirky and it’s scary and it’s funny and it makes for a great read aloud. It’s the kind of book that made kids like me fall in love with reading and the kind of book I love to share with my kids.
The young prince in this book sets out to find his brothers who have been turned to stone by a troll. When he arrives he finds a princess who is being kept captive, and they work together to try and trick the troll into revealing where his heart is hidden. Some of the images are pretty spooky in this book, but overall it’s a quite lighthearted read. Large picture book/graphic novel hybrids have turned out to be one of my very favorite types of books for sharing with kids - and this one is a treasure.
Have you read any of the books featured on Dad’s Bookshelf this month? What books have you been enjoying lately? Let us know in the comments!
