Welcome back to Smarty Books, a monthly newsletter featuring smart and sweet picture books to inspire young readers. (4 minute read)
Our book for the month of June is Today by Julie Morstad. My second daughter carried this book around the house for about six months, mainly because of the spread with delicious frozen treats. Enjoy a snippet of my daughters (ages four and three) reading this book and sampling some imaginary ice cream.
Subscribe for free to learn about a new picture book every month.
Summary
Today takes the reader through a typical day from waking up to bedtime and all the choices in-between. “What should I do today? Where should I go?” What to wear? Hairstyles? Breakfast? The reader gets to answer the questions from a vast menu of beautifully illustrated choices.
Why Today is great
The concept of going through the day with choices is one that all children will relate to. The first few spreads from a typical morning routine like getting dressed, doing hair and having breakfast draw the reader in.
Today encourages oral language development and vocabulary building. Some of the items pictured may not be familiar to all readers, like a kimono, grass skirt or lederhosen on the getting-dressed page.
Some of the suggested options are far outside the realm of what typical young children would come up with on their own. For example, on the how-to-get-there page, most readers probably wouldn’t think of taking a camel. These options encourage creative thinking. How else could we get there?
The level of whimsy is just right.
The questions are sure to engage readers who will want to choose again and again.
It’s also worth mentioning that this book is quite large. The hardcover is 9”x12.” This means more people can gather around.
Author Interview
Julie Morstad is the author and illustrator of Today. She shares the inspiration for this book and what’s next for her below.
Sarah W: What was the genesis of Today?
Julie Morstad: My kids loved reading Richard Scarry books and always wanted to make choices about which characters and things they identified with. They would even bicker with each other over who got to eat the cookies in the kitchen scenes! (There's enough imaginary cookies for everyone, guys! Come on!!) This inspired me to make a book with choices. I also loved the idea of doing a book where an early reader can open it themselves and read it non-linearly.
Sarah W: I also loved Richard Scarry as a child : ) What did you enjoy most about working on it?
Julie Morstad: It was very freeing to have many characters, mixed media and no linear plot.
Sarah W: What's next for you? Talk about a recent or future project you’re excited about.
Julie Morstad: Recently I made Time is a Flower with Tundra Books, and a new book coming out next year is called A Rose, a Bridge and a Wild Black Horse which was written by the amazing Charlotte Zolotow and will be published by Cameron Kids. I am now working on another of my own books!
Sarah W: My daughter’s favorite spread in Today is the ice cream and popsicle spread. Do you have a favorite?
Julie Morstad: My favourite spread is probably the clothes or the stuff in my room spread, which was a lot of stuff from around our house that belonged to my son and daughter. They are teenagers now, so lots of memories.
More about Julie
Julie Morstad is an award-winning illustrator living with her family in Vancouver, B.C. She has illustrated nineteen books and has worked with authors Kyo Maclear and Sara O’Leary.
Julie’s website is amazing and shows select spreads from each of her books. See other work and updates on Instagram.
Today was published in 2016 by Simply Read Books.
June News
We are getting ready to welcome our next baby in a few weeks. Please send us your good thoughts and prayers for a safe delivery and smooth family adjustment.
Up Next
Still experimenting with this book preview. Let me know if you like finding out the next title ahead of time.
July’s book is Gaia Cornwall’s Jabari Jumps, a perfect summer pool book.
Audience Participation: Nominate Your Favorite Christmas Book
What is your all-time favorite Christmas book? I would like to feature a Christmas book in December, but I’ve realized that I don’t have one that I LOVE to read. Please nominate your best-loved Christmas picture book for consideration. Tip: Please avoid character/series books like Biscuit, Curious George, Clifford, etc. Can’t wait to read your recommendations.
Happy reading until we meet again!
— Sarah
Share this post with someone you wish you could spend today with.
The Snowman by Raymond Briggs is still one of my fave xmas reads! And the animated movie is gorgeous, too.
My grandsons love to hear The Mole Family's Christmas and Emmett Otter's Jug Band Christmas both by Russell Hoban.