A Greyhound of a Girl by Roddy Doyle

Sometimes I find a book that I love, but I know it’s going to be a little difficult to recommend. For these books I just have to cross my fingers and hope hope hope that they will be discovered by the right readers and appreciated. A Greyhound of a Girl is one of these great books. The problem (for lack of a better word) is that it’s sad. It’s also funny and touching and well-written and life-affirming.
Mary's beloved Granny is ill and probably won’t live much longer. One day, Mary meets a mysterious woman on the way home from school who seems to know a little too much about her. She discovers that Granny, the mysterious woman, her mother, and she are all connected in a way she never could have imagined. This sets them all on a road trip that teaches Mary about love and mothers and death and life. It’s aimed at roughly 9 to 12 year-olds, but I recommend it for everyone open to a book like this.

The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey

I was utterly swept away by this story of a couple trying to eke out an existence in the beautifully described wilds of 1920s Alaska. Their homesteaders’ life is intricately drawn and touchingly real. Jack spends his days trying to clear stumps from their meager fields while Mabel bakes pies to sell and tries to keep house. They have passed the age of being able to have children, and that childlessness haunts Mabel. As a crushing winter descends, the reality of their life forces them even further apart. And then one evening they are caught by the beauty of a new snowfall. In a moment of whimsy, they make a snow girl and dress her in a scarf and gloves. The next morning the scarf and gloves are gone, but a child’s footprints are left in the snow. This begins the thread of an old Russian fairy tale that Mabel remembers from childhood. She knows the ending of the tale isn't happy, but she decides that maybe this time things will turn out differently. Jack knows that the child is real, not a fairy. As the seasons march on, the snow child, Faina, brings them closer to each other, their neighbors, and nature itself.
This is a lovely book that I couldn't put down. It perfectly dances between a real, grounded story of homesteaders and an ethereal, almost-fairy tale. It would make a great book club discussion book.

And Then It's Spring by Julie Fogliano and Erin Stead

First you have brown,
all around you have brown
then there are seeds and a wish for rain…

These are the first lines of this wonderful, new children’s picture book. They speak to me so intensely right now - I Am Ready for Spring! But this lovely story reminds me that there is brown and then there is rain and then there is a “hopeful, very possible sort of brown.” That’s the brown we have right now, with the first hints of green. If you know a child itching for a sunny day, or an adult who could use a sweet reminder that there are better days to come (that even brown holds promise!), this is the book for you.
I am also a sucker for a cut-away of underground with roots and burrowing animals and insects. This book has a great one. The illustrator is a previous Caldecott winner.

Running the Rift by Naomi Benaron

Jean Patrick Nkuba just wants to run for as long, and as fast, as he possibly can. His greatest dream is to represent Rwanda in the Olympics. But Jean Patrick is a Tutsi and his story takes place in the years leading up to and just after the 1994 Tutsi genocide. We first meet him in 1984 when he is living a life sheltered from the politics of the day on the campus of the school where his father teaches and later in a Tutsi village. The Hutu-Tutsi conflict slowly creeps into Jean Patrick’s life as his running takes him away from the village and into the cities of Rwanda. He finds love and friendship and inches ever closer to his Olympic dream.
There is violence and heartache in this novel (there has to be, given the time), but Benaron manages to show the pain with enough joy mixed in that the story never becomes too depressing. This is the first book I read in 2012 and my reading year is off to a great start.

Making a Friend by Alison McGhee and Marc Rosenthal

This is a sweet, touching story that is so much more than a winter holiday book. It starts with a boy thinking of all the joys of a snowy day. He makes a snowman who becomes a good friend while the weather stays cold. When the winter ends, the snowman begins to melt until one day he’s gone. The boy looks for him and discovers that the snowman is in the water and the rain and everything around him. I loved the simple, compelling illustrations and spare, thoughtful text. This book has a beautiful message for anyone who is missing a loved one – What you love will always be with you.

I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen

This is a simple, silly picture book with wonderful illustrations. It follows a bear who has lost his hat. He asks the various animals he encounters if they’ve seen his hat, but they say they haven’t. He’s not the most observant bear. This book is almost a combination of Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus and Are You My Mother. I know, that’s hard to imagine, but it is fantastic fun. We’ve carried greeting cards by the author/illustrator, and they’re so sweet and compelling we have a hard time keeping them in stock.
Also, did the bear eat that rabbit? Oh my.

The Man in the Moon by William Joyce

William Joyce is one of my favorite illustrators and this is one of the most beautiful children's picture books that I’ve seen. The imagery is so rich and unique that I found myself just staring at the pages – imagine what a kid will do! The story is sweet and compelling as well. As a baby, The Man in the Moon (called MiM for short) is hidden away so that the King of Nightmares can’t find him. He grows up watching over the dreams of the child on Earth and eventually becomes the first of The Guardians of Childhood. That’s also the name of the series this book launches. All of the books involve classic fairytale figures – from the man in the moon to Santa and the Easter Bunny. There will also be a string of chapter books beginning with St. Nicholas of the North (coming out in November) and a movie next year. I’m not a fan of big movie tie-in stuff that’s just trying to sell, sell, sell, but this book is really exceptional. I’m excited to see the rest.