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As we begin the weekend, I wanted to share a new book I received with you Books Make Good Friends by Jane Mount which is a wonderful addition to many of our Gift Guides including our Back-To-School Gift Guide 2023 and Christmas Gift Guide 2023 which I received in exchange for this review. Would you like to join Charlie for Storytime.
For me personally this title Books Make Good Friends couldn’t be truer unless the Author has said family because I have a lot of books that I wouldn’t mind adding to my family and getting rid of some of the family the Lord gave me. When I was talking to David and Charlie about the book and we discussed the title they also agreed with the Author that books make good friends.
Charlie though the front of the book looked a lot like my office before we moved. Now David’s bedroom which is full of books I don’t’ want to part with. The only thing missing is a Cat like the beautiful yellow cat in the book. Only I would like a White Persian with blue eyes. I have Pheobie my funny Rat Terroir I wouldn’t change her for a million dollars.
Charlie and I opened the book after looking at all the books on the cover of the book. Some of the books like Charlotte’s Web and Goodnight Moon that we’ve read. Have you? We opened the book and there was a pink bookmarker with a Dragon that looked so real I wanted to take it out of the book to mark our spot.
Charlie and David asked me if I could find them a bookmarker just like this one with a Dragon on it.They thought it was cute how the creatr spelled Worm ( Bok WYRM). Don’t you think that is cute? There is a pair of red glasses Charlie said both his grandmothers would have liked. Charlie liked how there is a note that lets us know this book belongs to Lotti.
I would like to introduce you to Lottie the main character. Her mom thinks she is shy and her dad thinks she is a dreamer. Hher brother thinks she read too much. Just like me. I liked learning how books transport her to different adventures. I also liked learning she reads every chance she gets just like me. Are you this way?
We learn school is hard and she has trouble making friends. Which for Charlie school was hard and its why we homeschool although he didn’t have trouble making friends. Do you have trouble making friends? Instead of playing Lottie reads a book and we learn about “Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin” a new book for Charlie to check out for his Homeschool Reading Class.
Loti likes to read adventure books on the playground which Charlie enjoys as well. I can’t wait to take this book to the library with us on our Homeschool Field Trip to check out the books listed in here. Lotti’s family talks a lot like I do which can annoy David and Charlie. Do you talk a lot as well?
We learn Lotti loves animals just like Charlie and I do. she owns over 100 books and a lot of them came from her Nana just like a lot of Charlie’s books came from his grandmothers. On the weekends they go on Hikes as a family but again Lotti takes books with her. Which I would do as well. How about you?
They have Picnic and Lotti reads a book on Nature her mom gave her to get her involved in nature. Charlie and I can use The Wondrous Workings of Planet Earth by Rachel Ignotofsky in our Nature Studies. Did you know The Wondrous Workings of Planet Earth is a non-fiction book and it’s a genre Charlie and I can look up at the library.
On the weekends their dad rides his bike to the Market and usually Lotti stays home and reads but this morning she decides to go. Here we learn about a book called My Papi Has a Motorcycle by Isbel Quintero Charlie and David would enjoy as they love Motorcycles. David even had one as a teenager.
Lotti begins to see the world isn’t as boring as she thought. Nox Lotti\e brother ask her to draw but she always says no. This time Lotti is reading In Amari and the Night Brothers by B.B. Alston and learns about a sister how loses her brother and is missing him. Do you think this will change Lotti mind about coloring with Nox?
Lotti shares the picture books and early readers Noc has shared with her A lot of the books like Everyone Poops which Charlie and I’ve read along with Little Bear. We go to the library and in the kids’ section we find Ms. McGarity the librarian. Lotti sees kids she knows reading books. The librarian helps Lotti find a book friends Ivy & Bean by Annie barrows which I’ve been thinking of getting y niece Lily for Christmas. That is if she hasn’t already read this book.
Lotti and Nadia walk home together, and Nadia invites Lotti over to dinner for Mac & Cheese. Does this mean they are friends? You should see all the books Lotti checked out about being a friend. We learn Lotti goes to her Aunt Suneya’s home once a week. Aunt Suneya’s isn’t really their aunt but there parents best friend. Charlie has Aunts and Uncles like this. Do you?
At her home they back cookies and Lotti thinks about taking the cookies to school just like in the book Thank You, Omu! by Oge Mora a book Charlie and I hadn’t read. Have you? The cookies work she is making friends and realizes not everyone thinks she is weird. Or they might like weird. What do you think?
Enzo is the new boy, he is shy so Lotti brings him a Cookie and a book The WIld Robot by Peter Brown which Charlie said he wouldn’t mind reading with his dad. Nadia, Enzo and Lotti all read together and share books like a book club. Which we should start one of our own for adults and one for children. Would you like to join?
In Books Make Good Friends by Jane Mount we learn books can make good friends, but we shouldn’t let them take the place of friends and places and things we do. Charlie and I believe this book is for younger elementary children. Although adults would enjoy the story as well as the books, we find inside leading us all on a new reading journey.
About:
This new picture book from beloved author-illustrator Jane Mount celebrates the avid reader, demonstrates how books make you better, and reassures anyone who has been anxious or uncertain about facing the real world.
Lotti isn’t sure she wants to make friends. She’s shy, and she doesn’t really know how. While everyone around her is playful, outgoing, and loud, Lotti prefers a quiet place and a book to read. Lotti LOVES books. To her, books are full of magic and aren’t as scary as new friends. But perhaps Lotti’s books can show her how to find magic in everyday moments, and maybe the friends she can share this magic with are closer than she thinks.
Iconic Bibliophile creator Jane Mount makes her children’s book debut in this imagination-driven story of a shy booklover’s attempts to open her mind and find joy with the people around her. This journal-esque narrative-which includes fun recommended reads on each page-explores the process of book discovery for bibliophiles-in-training, and is perfect for enthusiastic and reluctant readers alike!
FOR ALL TYPES OF READERS: The story’s main character, Lotti, is shy and struggles to make friends, but her imagination and love for reading take her to faraway places and introduce her to new friends. Readers of all tastes will find a relatable character in Lotti and enjoy the diverse books she reads-from fiction and nonfiction to novels and picture books. There’s a book for everyone!
PROMOTING LITERACY: The concept behind this book is timelessly important: promoting literacy. It is especially helpful for reluctant readers who may need to learn how to navigate resources like libraries and will teach them how to find books in their communities. In each scene, the main character is reading a new book. She visits her school library and her public library and has a tote bag from an independent bookstore. This book encourages kids to literally go out and read, broaden theirhorizons, and immerse themselves in the rich world of books.
INTERACTIVE & VIBRANT: Readers will love discovering new books as they engage with the interactive format of this journal-style picture book, which features book recommendations, book lists and stacks, and lots of bookish commentary and questions in Mount’s signature hand-lettering. Her recognizable and vibrant art style achieves a new level of playfulness that will hold endless appeal for young readers.
PERFECT FOR FANS OF BIBLIOPHILE : Jane Mount is the creator behind the beloved Bibliophile line of products ranging from journals to stationery to decor for book lovers. Fans will be excited to share this with young ones in their lives!
OVERCOMING SHYNESS: Highly autobiographical, this book reveals that Jane was a shy kid, very much like Lotti. She tells her story in the Author’s Note. The backmatter also features a stack of all her favorite books, with her charming commentary.
ENGAGING RESOURCE TOOL: Aside from being a wonderful tool for excited young readers, this book will be a welcome resource for those who care about making reading more accessible to children-including teachers, librarians, parents, and family members-and fostering connections with young readers.
Perfect for:
• Parents, teachers, and librarians seeking resources for voracious readers and reluctant readers.
• Kids who love reading and enjoy stories about friendship, bookstores, and bookish cats
• Gift giving for birthday, holiday, graduation, spring break or summer reading
• Fans of Bibliophile: An Illustrated Miscellany and Bibliophile: Diverse Spines
• Readers who cherish classic children’s books old and new, like Charlotte’s Web, Ivy + Bean, Harry Potter, Wonder, The Golden Compass, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, and so many more included on Lotti’s shelves
• Anyone who LOVES books
About the Author: Jane Mount
Jane Mount is an illustrator/designer/writer/thingmaker, and particularly makes things for people who love books. She is the founder of Ideal Bookshelf, and the author and illustrator of Bibliophile: An Illustrated Miscellany (Chronicle Books, 2018), and the illustrator and co-author (with Jamise Harper) of Bibliophile: Diverse Spines (Chronicle Books, 2021) and My Ideal Bookshelf (Little, Brown, 2012). She lives in a log cabin on Maui with her husband, three weird cats, and a speckled dog.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
