The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes, by Du Bose Heyward, illustrated by Marjorie Flack -- Day 87

“There really are five Easter Bunnies, and they must be the five kindest, and swiftest, and wisest bunnies in the whole wide world…” So begins Du Bose Heyward’s inimitable The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes, first published in 1939 but oh-so-relevant today. Cottontail, a little brown country girl bunny, dreams of growing up to be an Easter Bunny, but all the big white bunnies and Jack Rabbits laugh at her. She says, “Wait and see!” Time passes; Cottontail marries and has twenty-one bunny babies to care for. As soon as her children are big enough, she teaches them to cook and clean and wash and paint pictures and make music to maintain their happy home. When one of the five Easter Bunnies retires, she and her children attend Grandfather Bunny’s selection process for the next one. Picking her out of the crowd and gently challenging her to prove her worth, Grandfather Bunny, after seeing how resourceful and loving Cottontail is with her children, says, “You have proved yourself to be not only wise, and kind, and swift, but also very clever.” So it is that Cottontail helps deliver Easter eggs to children around the world. When one daunting task remains – delivering a beautiful egg to a very brave but ill boy at the tip-top of a mountain unreachable by others – she receives a special gift from Grandfather Bunny: a pair of very tiny gold shoes that help her complete her last delivery. She returns home with a basket of eggs for her children, finding their home well cared for and her little bunnies asleep in their beds. The sweetness and fluidity of Heyward’s prose plus the spring-like pastels of Marjorie Flack’s iconic pictures together create a book beloved by generations of readers. Ages 4 up.

Boxes for Katje, by Candace Fleming, illustrated by Stacey Dressen-McQueen -- Day 86

Boxes for Katje is based on the experience of author Candace Fleming’s mother, who sent a small box containing toothpaste, socks and soap to war-devasted Europe in May 1945. This gesture was one of many made by Americans, individually and through relief agencies, to Europeans enduring the horrible effects of World War II. In this heartwarming picture book, young Katje, who lives in the Dutch town of Olst, receives an unexpected box from Mayfield, Indiana, USA. Mama and Postman Kleinhoonte are almost as excited as she when it is found to contain soap, socks and chocolate; Katje generously shares the chocolate. The package also contains a letter from the American girl who sent it. Of course, Katje responds and again, unexpectedly, receives a bigger box from Rosie in Indiana. This exchange of letters and boxes continues through the summer and fall, with each box getting bigger until, in the middle of the harsh winter when Katje’s village is suffering deeply from the cold, many boxes filled with food and clothing – and chocolate – arrive for the townspeople. These gifts make a huge difference to the grateful recipients. When the snows melt, Katje and her mother choose just the right way to show their thanks: they send tulip bulbs from their gardens to Indiana so that the next spring Mayfield could be mantled with colorful Dutch tulips!  Illustrations by Stacey Dressen-McQueen are alive with action and intriguing details. Perhaps it goes without saying that we cannot underestimate the importance of sharing resources and kindness across the globe in today’s world, too. Ages 4-8.

Johnny Appleseed: The Story of a Legend, by Will Moses -- Day 85

Stories about Johnny Appleseed are plentiful. He was a character reputed to have carried apple seeds and planted apple trees over much of the country. Well, many of those stories are probably true! Johnny Appleseed was a real person, born John Chapman in Leominster, Massachusetts, in 1774. Johnny was one of twelve children; he loved being with his family but he loved wandering in the woods even more. He dreamed of going west to the frontier and in his early twenties he set out, traveling with the seasons. He followed Indian trails and lived very simply, but the winter of 1797 was particularly cold, raw and threatening, so he settled in Warren, Pennsylvania, building himself a cabin in the spring. That was when Johnny had a vision of his mission — “to wander about the country planting apple trees as he went, ‘so that the wilderness might be glad and blossom forth with fruit.’ ” Johnny was both spiritual and determined, and he took his vision seriously. In following years he gathered bags and bags of apple seeds from cider mills, planting his orchards in Pennsylvania and Ohio and always helping settlers establish their own orchards. After all, you could do anything with apples, all year round – and they tasted so very good right off the tree! Plus, springtime brought wonderful blossoms. Johnny was a true eccentric, caring not at all about his appearance (he wore shabby clothes, crazy hats, and often went barefoot), but the folks he met described him as unfailingly kind and generous. Johnny loved to read and enjoyed sharing his books and tales. Stories told about him grew into legends, some of which may not be wholly true. What is absolutely true is that he is responsible for the glorious spread of apple trees from Pennsylvania to Indiana; pioneering families with whom he shared his seeds and saplings carried them further west. In Johnny Appleseed: The Story of a Legend, Will Moses has crafted a wonderful portrait of this unusual man, combining a story that reads like an old-fashioned yarn with his bountiful folk-art paintings. Ages 5-9.

A River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams, by Jen Bryant, illustrated by Melissa Sweet -- Day 84

Doctor and poet William Carlos Williams was born in Rutherford, New Jersey. He grew up in an ordinary fashion – playing with friends and wandering alone through the fields and woods outside of town, just enjoying being in the midst of the sounds and images of nature. It was when his high school English teacher Mr. Abbott read poems aloud that William felt his spirit come to rest on the fluid lines of words. As he began to write poems himself, it was apparent that “poetry suited Willie.” He studied the rhymes and rhythms of famous English poets but “he had pictures in his mind that didn’t exactly fit into steady rhythms or rhymes.” So his poems took the form of his thoughts and perceptions, moving freely, portraying ordinary things. But in the way of the world, William knew he needed to earn a living through something other than poetry. He became good friends with poets and artists at the university where he went to medical school and stayed in touch with them even as he maintained a busy family medicine practice. Always Williams wrote poetry – on prescription pads during the day as he was able or late at night with the moon shining in his window. A River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams is an absolutely glorious biography combining Jen Bryant’s lyrical narrative with Melissa Sweet’s beautifully layered collages incorporating elements of Williams’s elegant poems about the ordinary things in life. It is a fusion of text and visual art consistent with Williams’s unique poetic style. A timeline of events and endnotes from both the author and illustrator complete this celebration of a notable American poet. Ages 7 to adult.

View "This Is Just To Say" by William Carlos Williams

Let It Shine: Stories of Black Women Freedom Fighters, by Andrea Davis Pinkney, illustrated by Stephen Alcorn -- Day 83

Author Andrea Davis Pinkney shares her inspiration for Let It Shine: Stories of Black Women Freedom Fighters in a preface entitled “This Little Light of Mine.” Both her parents were active in the fight for civil rights, and black empowerment was “a deeply held belief that [her] parents, through their example, instilled in their three children.” Each of the women included in Pinkney's expressive collected biography was a beacon in the continuous struggle for equality and justice. Some are well known, others less so, but all were ardent in speaking out for their beliefs. The profiles are presented chronologically, starting with Sojourner Truth, whose slave name was Belle. She claimed Inspiration caused her to change the name, saying “Get yourself a new name, child. Live up to that name by preaching what’s real and what’s right.” The final profile is of Shirley Chisholm; she was the first black woman to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives and, as a candidate for the presidency in 1972, said “I am not the candidate of black America, although I am black and proud. I am not the candidate for the women’s movement of this country, although I am a woman…I am the candidate of the people.” Other strong women in the author's collection are Biddy Mason, Harriet Tubman, Ida B. Wells-Barnett, Mary McLeod Bethune, Ella Josephine Baker, Dorothy Irene Height, Rosa Parks and Fannie Lou Hamer. Pinkney distills the life events of each woman in a fluid, colloquial manner, highlighting their challenges and accomplishments. Dramatic, allegorical full-page artwork by Stephen Alcorn captures the portrait and the passion of each woman. Further readings are suggested at the conclusion. Ages 9-13, younger for reading aloud, and adults.