children's book illustration

[mindful review+ giveaway] The Gift of the Broken Teacup by Allan Wolf and Jade Orlando

~ jama ~ 24 Comments

Imagine standing beneath a tall tree in a quiet snow-laden forest, your soul abloom with heightened awareness. Or perhaps you’re lying on your bed, eyes closed, envisioning a butterfly fluttering just above you, its wings stirring up the gentle air before it softly lands on your fingers, nose and eyelids.

Whether immersing yourself in nature or traveling within, moments of calm introspection can help offset the stresses of daily life, rejuvenate the spirit and restore balance. In The Gift of the Broken Teacup: Poems of Mindfulness, Meditation, and Me (Candlewick, 2025), poet Allan Wolf and illustrator Jade Orlando invite young readers to open their minds, think deeper, and enjoy the benefits of being fully present in their daily lives.

This insightful collection explores the essence of mindfulness by offering strategies for self actualization and emotional literacy. With an emphasis on positive values like empathy, kindness, gratitude and respect, this child-friendly primer for being in the world truly inspires and empowers.

Thirty poems are presented in three sections — Mindfulness, Meditation, and Me — with the opening poem introducing the book’s overarching themes of acceptance, openness, and intention. 

THE GIFT OF THE BROKEN TEACUP

I drink my tea 
from a broken cup.
The handle is gone,
so I pick the cup up
with both hands cupped
as if to pray.
I've learned my tea
tastes better this way.

I like the speaker’s non judgmental attitude and willingness to embrace the broken cup for what it is, ultimately discovering an unexpected gift. Good lesson: always remain open to possibilities, trust yourself.

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[review] This Moment is Special: A Día de Muertos Story by John Parra

~ jama ~ 10 Comments

Come November 1-2, Mexicans and other Latino communities around the world will be observing Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead), a traditional fiesta to honor and remember deceased loved ones.

Celebrations will include using marigolds and calaveras (skeletons), decorating family gravesites, constructing altars with photos, memorabilia and offerings of the departed’s favorite foods and beverages; as well as holding community gatherings with music, dancing, feasting, and masquerading as death.

Rather than being a somber, mournful occasion, this much anticipated holiday is a time to welcome the spirits of departed ancestors to a joyful reunion with the living on Earth.

In This Moment is Special: A Día de Muertos Story (Paula Wiseman/S&S, 2025) by award-winning author-illustrator John Parra, a young boy practices mindfulness as he prepares for the fiesta throughout the day. He treasures each moment with family and friends — moments time will turn into the precious memories of a life well lived.

We first meet him early in the morning as he anticipates what’s ahead with hope and excitement:

Today holds a special promise. Una promesa especial.

Oh, the possibilities! He first shares “a tamale, avocado and egg breakfast” with his family, who, like him, have donned calaveras paint. Next, he and his sister take the bus to school, where he pushes his mind “to discover and learn” subjects like history, language, geography and science.

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[review] Sweet Dreams: Moon Poems for Bedtime by Charles Ghigna and Jacqueline East

~ jama ~ 27 Comments

When we were little, we likely heard about the cow jumping over the moon and the dish running away with the spoon. We learned the moon was made of green cheese, and that when the man in the moon tumbled down too soon, he burned his mouth eating porridge.

Whether in nursery rhyme or popular folklore, the moon continues to charm us. No surprise that kids are especially captivated by its presence in the night sky and curious about its changing appearance.

In Sweet Dreams: Moon Poems for Bedtime (Schiffer Kids, 2025), beloved Alabama poet Charles Ghigna serves up a delightful platter of lunar treats illustrated by Jacqueline East. The fourteen short poems in the collection invite young readers to explore the moon’s many guises, whether playful, evocative, majestic or enchanting.

When night has fallen and children are tucked safely in their beds, they can imagine the moon as a lollipop, orange, pumpkin, ice cream cone or lost balloon. They can see the moon as artist, magician, or guardian of safety.

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[review] Giving Thanks with Halmoni by Kathleen Choi, Sook Nyul Choi and Il Sung Na

~ jama ~ 9 Comments

In less than a week, millions of Koreans will be celebrating Chuseok, a mid-Autumn harvest festival that’s one of the biggest holidays of the year. They will travel from all over to visit their ancestral hometowns, where they’ll spend time with their families, honor their ancestors and share a big feast.

Since my family didn’t observe this wonderful holiday when I was growing up in Hawaii, I knew very little about it until I read Giving Thanks with Halmoni: Celebrating Chuseok, the Korean Harvest Festival by Kathleen Choi and Sook Nyul Choi, illustrated by Il Sung Na (Red Comet Press, 2025).

Children’s books about Chuseok are actually few and far between, so this delectable title is a very welcome offering. Love that it was written by the same mother-daughter team who collaborated on one of my favorite Korean American picture books, Halmoni and the Picnic (1993). I still remember how excited I was when first reading it 32 years ago (back then, picture books by and about Korean Americans were almost non-existent). How wonderful that all these years later, the Choi family is bringing us yet another heartwarming intergenerational tale. 🙂

The halmoni (grandmother) in this new story has recently moved to America. She describes Chuseok (which coincides with the big, bright Harvest Moon), to her granddaughter Su-Jin and her friends Maddy and Keisha, who notes that it sounds a lot like Thanksgiving. Later, when Su-Jin tells her friends that Halmoni likely misses hosting Chuseok dinner with her family and friends in Korea, the girls decide to ask Halmoni to help them throw a Chuseok party for all their friends.

Halmoni is only too happy to oblige, while the girls are excited to pitch in with all the preparations. As the moon grows smaller and smaller, Halmoni first shows the girls how to wrap special Chuseok presents with a pretty cloth called bojagi.

When the moon finally disappears, it’s time to begin serious preparations. The next night, a tiny sliver of the moon appears; while it grows each night after that, Halmoni and the girls shop for ingredients and make several traditional dishes such as Korean scallion pancakes (pajun), japchae noodles, a traditional beef stew called galbijjim, and three-color vegetables.

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[briny review] A Spoonful of the Sea by Hyewon Yum

~ jama ~ 9 Comments

There’s nothing more nourishing or restorative than a bowl of homemade soup, especially when your mother makes it. 🙂

If we had a cool rainy day, if someone was feeling under the weather, or whenever she just felt like it, my mom made Korean miyeok-guk (seaweed soup). Though she cooked many delicious dishes, this soup was easily the most comforting and I always loved devouring my fair share.

But for all those years of eating miyeok-guk while growing up, I only recently learned about its cultural significance thanks to Hyewon Yum’s touching new picture book, A Spoonful of the Sea (Norton Young Readers, 2025).

I didn’t know that in Korea, miyeok-guk is a traditional birthday soup honoring and celebrating mothers, and that this custom dates back more than a thousand years! Referencing Jeju Island’s revered haenyeo (female free divers), Yum has lovingly created an inspiring tale of family history and heritage told through a matriarchal lens.

As the story opens, a girl is given a bowl of her mother’s seaweed soup on her birthday. Disappointed it’s not the strawberry cake or chocolate cupcakes she actually wanted, she pouts over the briny-smelling soup that “looks like sea water.” But while she’s stirring it, her mom explains why the soup is so special.

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