Friday, November 16, 2018

Margo's Musings: What is Twig's Fortune?



When we were at the CT Children’s Book Fair we were lucky enough to listen to author Brenna Burns Yu read aloud her picture book, Hazel and Twig: The Birthday Fortune. It's a wonderful story, and my little sister, Margo, and I learned about a Korean first birthday tradition. It sounded like so much fun and we were lucky to get an autographed copy. How special! We couldn’t wait to get home and read it again!


Twig is turning one and her doljabi is right around the corner. Her whole family is excited and curious to see what she'll select. Whatever she picks will tell her fortune. Each item that is placed on the ground represents something different. Will she be a builder? A musician? Or is something else in store for her? Only time will tell, and no one is more excited than Twig’s older sister, Hazel. She really hopes her sister picks yarn, so they can both live long lives. But on Twig’s doljabi she picks something quite unexpected. Will Hazel be able to help tell what it means?  You won’t want to miss this adorable debut picture book. 


Hazel and Twig: The Birthday Fortune by Brenna Burns Yu is such a beautiful and interesting picture book. Margo fell in love with Twig, and she especially enjoyed trying to guess what Twig would select. I hadn’t heard of a doljabi before, and it was cool to learn about a special Korean tradition. The illustrations are soft and appealing with adorable characters. I can't get over all the tiny details!  I'm sure we'll be pulling this book off the shelf many times to read again.


Has anyone else read Hazel and Twig: The Birthday Fortune by Brenna Burns Yu? We'd love to hear your thoughts!

Happy reading!
~ F

Wednesday, November 14, 2018

Answer to Fairday's Riddle: A Special Day




Excellent guessing, Riddlers! This week we're celebrating birthday traditions. Tune in Friday for Margo's children's picture book choice and find out how the answer ties into the story. See you all around the book block. ~ F





Once a year this shall come, starting count at day one. A merry-go-round of laughs and cries circles back to old new eyes. Manifestations born in time are celebrated by yours and mine. Blowing candles and festive song mark the date you came along. 

What am I referring to? Answer: Birthday!


Make time to riddle and rhyme!
62 original riddles and illustrations
Available in all e-book formats