The Soaring '20s Gift Guide

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By the Soaring ‘20s

When I was about twelve, I dove under the Christmas tree and hauled out three gift boxes heavy enough to contain coal. After peeling off the five or six layers of wrapping paper my Papi had delighted in double-sealing with Scotch-tape, I saw the Macy’s boxes and crossed my fingers. To my delight, Polaroid camera film filled one box and in the other two, about three month’s worth of nightmares. Stacks of Stephen King and John Saul novels, not coal, were the gifts that would feed my imagination for months.

The next holiday season, my parents thought it was time for me to choose my gifts, gave me cash, and released me into the mall expecting I’d come home with clothes and jewelry. To their horror, I came home with bags and bags of books from Barnes & Noble and was never trusted again to shop without supervision.

Don’t expect anything less of me now. I will never stop believing that books aren’t always the perfect gift for any occasion. So today, I am your Book Titi sharing with you all of the magical delights the creators of the Soaring ’20s have in store for you. And bonus! They have paired their books with all sorts of theme-related goodies for your children to enjoy, with shopping links for your convenience.

We Soarers are so grateful for your support of our work and for the absolute gift of being able to create for children. We wish you and your family safety, peace, love, and joy—now and always.

— NoNieqa Ramos, author of YOUR MAMA, forthcoming April 6, 2021

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SOAKED! by Abi Cushman

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SOAKED!, signed copy, Bank Square Books Bookstore

Kids’ Puddle Stompers, L.L. Bean

Custom Child Hula-Hoop, Hoops & Company

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INVENT-A-PET by Vicky Fang, illustrated by Tidawan Thaipinnarong

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INVENT-A-PET signed copy (leave comment at checkout), Lindentree Books Bookstore

Felt Friends Stickers, Melissa & Doug

Plushie fish, Stuffed Safari

Free Activity Sheet

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CLYDE THE HIPPO series by Keith Marantz, illustrated by Larissa Marantz

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CLYDE THE HIPPO signed series set, Tiddlywinks Toys

Mellow Mallow Hippo Stuffed Animal, Tiddlywinks Toys

Butterfly Garden, Tiddlywinks Toys

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NO FUZZBALL! by Isabella Kung

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NO FUZZBALL!, Bookshop link

No Fuzzball! Vinyl Sticker sheet, Etsy

No Fuzzball! Totebag, Etsy

Cat ear and tail costume set, Etsy

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LOUIS by Tom Lichtenheld, illustrated by Julie Rowan-Zoch

LOUIS, Bookshop link

Crescent Moon Lamp, Crate and Kids

Free crochet pattern for baby piggie booties, Croby Patterns

Sheet set with cloud motif, Temple and Webster

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LILLYBELLE, A DAMSEL NOT IN DISTRESS by Joana Pastro, illustrated by Jhon Ortiz

LILLYBELLE, A DAMSEL NOT IN DISTRESS, Bookshop link

Music Box, Etsy

Kid’s Apron and Chef Hat, Etsy

Laptop Cover and Pencil Case, Etsy

Sponge Cakes Craft, The Craft Train

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SATURDAYS ARE FOR STELLA by Candy Wellins, illustrated by Charlie Eve Ryan

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SATURDAYS ARE FOR STELLA, Bookshop link

Toy record player, Fat Brain Toys

Fleece dinosaur hat, Etsy

Felt cinnamon rolls, Etsy 

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THE ELEPHANTS’ GUIDE TO HIDE-AND-SEEK by Kjersten Hayes, illustrated by Gladys Jose

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THE ELEPHANTS’ GUIDE TO HIDE-AND-SEEK, Bookshop link

Elephant stuffed animal, the San Diego Zoo

Pipe Cleaners to make glasses for your elephant, Launching Success Toy Store

Tickets to a local zoo, Association of Zoos and Aquariums

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DOZENS OF DOUGHNUTS by Carrie Finison, illustrated by Brianne Farley

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DOZENS OF DOUGHNUTS, Bookshop link

Play Felt Doughnuts, Etsy

Cat Donut Memory Match Game, Mud Puppy

Doughnut Baking Pan and Mix, Stonewall Kitchen

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SEVEN GOLDEN RINGS: A TALE OF MUSIC AND MATH By Rajani LaRocca, illustrated by Archana Sreenivasan

SEVEN GOLDEN RINGS, Bookshop link

Gold Hula Hoops, Etsy

Binary Math Toy, Target

Mandala Coloring Book, Thriftbooks

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MUSLIM GIRLS RISE: INSPIRATIONAL CHAMPIONS OF OUR TIME by Saira Mir, illustrated by Aaliya Jaleel

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MUSLIM GIRLS RISE, Bookshop link

Ibtihaj Barbie, Mattel

Illuminated Globe for Kids, Child’s Play

Ultimate Fudge Brownie Recipe, Amanda Saab

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NO VOICE TOO SMALL: FOURTEEN YOUNG AMERICANS MAKING HISTORY edited by Lindsay H. Metcalf, Keila V. Dawson, and Jeanette Bradley, illustrated by Bradley

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NO VOICE TOO SMALL, Bookshop link

Megaphone Speaker Lightweight Bullhorn, Pyle

Speaker of the House T-shirt, Etsy

MARCH: A Journal for Activism, Bookshop link

Mari Copeny Kid Activist Doll, Lottie

Magnetic Poetry Little Box of Strength, Magnetic Poetry

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DIGGING FOR WORDS: JOSÉ ALBERTO GUTIÉRREZ AND THE LIBRARY HE BUILT by Angela Burke Kunkel, illustrated by Paola Escobar

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DIGGING FOR WORDS, Bookshop link

Toy recycling truck, Green Toys

Waves and sun bookends, Etsy

Kids’ Little Prince T-shirt, Out Of Print

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FARMERS UNITE! PLANTING A PROTEST FOR FAIR PRICES by Lindsay H. Metcalf

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FARMERS UNITE!, Bookshop link

Little Pal Steel 8-1/4 in. W x 27 in. L Mini Round Point Shovel Wood Handle, Ace

Pizza Garden, Backyard Safari Co

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THE VOICE THAT WON THE VOTE: HOW ONE WOMAN’S WORDS MADE HISTORY by Elisa Boxer, illustrated by Vivien Mildenberger

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THE VOICE THAT WON THE VOTE, Signed, personalized copies from Print: A Bookstore

Cotton canvas tote bag, Print: A Bookstore

VOTE LIKE A MOTHER merchandise, Vote Like A Mother

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BEATRIX POTTER, SCIENTIST By Lindsay H. Metcalf, illustrated by Junyi Wu

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BEATRIX POTTER, SCIENTIST, Bookshop Link

Take-it-anywhere microscope, Lakeshore Learning

Oyster mushroom kit, A Mighty Girl

Nancy B’s mighty microbes lab and gem journal, Rainbow Resource Center

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WOOD, WIRE, WINGS: EMMA LILIAN TODD INVENTS AN AIRPLANE By Kirsten W. Larson, illustrated by Tracy Subisak

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WOOD, WIRE, WINGS, Bookshop Link

Guillo’s airplane design studio, Fat Brain Toys

200 paper airplanes to fold and fly, My Pilot Store

Lego Heartlake City airplane set, Lego

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CLARINET & TRUMPET By Melanie Ellsworth, illustrated by John Herzog

(pre-order for delivery in March 2021)

CLARINET AND TRUMPET, Bookshop link

CD: Can you hear it? The Met store

Trumpet ornament, Etsy

Clarinet ornament, Etsy

Donate your old instrument to a child or local music group, Hungry for Music

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HOW TO WEAR A SARI By Darshana Khiani, illustrated by Joanne Lew-Vriethoff

(pre-order for delivery in June 2021)

HOW TO WEAR A SARI, signed copies from Hicklebee’s

Indian doll clothes, Etsy

Kid-size bangles, Etsy

DIY handmade paper doll sari craft, Skill Flair

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The Soaring '20s Celebrate (EVEN MORE) Teachers!

Thank you, teachers! We’ve been celebrating you all week long for your tireless dedication, enthusiasm for your subjects, and care for your students. 

There’s still time to enter our Teacher Appreciation Week giveaway. Visit @soaring20spb on Twitter to enter by midnight PST tonight!

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Celebrating Our Favorite Teachers

Lindsay H. Metcalf

My first-grade teacher, Deanna Garlow, has been a reassuring constant. Beyond the basics, she created community. Our class phone book was a lifeline — my first real opportunity to build friendships outside of school. Now Mrs. Garlow’s voice is piping through my fourth-grader’s Chromebook in the dining room, helping his class navigate the uncertain world. 

Mrs. Garlow and Lindsay Metcalf, first grade, 1988

—Lindsay H. Metcalf, author of BEATRIX POTTER, SCIENTIST, illustrated by Junyi Wu (Albert Whitman & Co.), and FARMERS UNITE! Planting a Protest for Fair Prices (Calkins Creek); and co-editor, with Jeanette Bradley and Keila V. Dawson, of NO VOICE TOO SMALL: Fourteen Young Americans Making History, illustrated by Bradley (Charlesbridge)

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Larissa Marantz

The teacher who had a major impact on my creative growth as an artist was Don Lagerberg at CSU Fullerton. His energy and charisma in the class was motivating and inspiring. He saw the potential in me, encouraged me to go beyond my comfort zone, and became a model for me as an educator in the classroom. 

Keith Marantz

My favorite teacher in school was my chemistry teacher in eleventh grade. His name was Joachim Pfitzner. Imagine if Latka Gravas and Jake Gyllenhaal had a baby! He was outlandish and had a large obsession with German pogens, which he would politely coerce students to bring to him. That was an exceptional way to get on his good side if you weren’t. I’ll never forget him.

—Larissa and Keith Marantz, illustrator and author of CLYDE GOES TO SCHOOL and CLYDE LIKES TO SLIDE (Penguin Workshop)

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Candy Wellins

When most people think back on their high school days, they don’t remember trigonometry class fondly. But I do. And it’s all because of my teacher, Mr. Dale. His lessons were like stand-up comedy routines, complete with props and songs. If we were working out a problem and wound up with a zero as a denominator, he’d bring out a kid’s toy siren and call in the math police. When we were learning how to graph parabolas, he created a song (sung to the latest big hit “Macarena”) called “Hey, It’s a Parabola” and had us all sing along. Mr. Dale’s lessons were so fun, we often forgot we were learning complex math equations (and really enjoying math class). I hope everyone has a few Mr. Dales in their lives (especially when they’re taking trigonometry).

—Candy Wellins, author of SATURDAYS ARE FOR STELLA, illustrated by Charlie Eve Ryan (Page Street Kids)

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JULIE ROWAN-ZOCH

Julie Rowan-Zoch on her way to class at FIT, circa 1984 (Total extrovert, just didn’t like having her photo taken!)

Eli Kince pushed our design class extremely hard. Tears flowed often, but I adapted. My output soon garnered consistent praise, so I was really floored when my final grade was a B. When confronted he said, while I had performed well my work had not grown in comparison to my classmates. I brooded for a long time. Couldn’t he have challenged me more in class? What I eventually absorbed is what really made me grow: I have so much to thank him for, but I had placed too much value on a grade and the opinion of one person, professional or not. Getting floored and getting back up was a profound lesson, one for my entire creative life.

—Julie Rowan-Zoch, illustrator of LOUIS, written by Tom Lichtenheld (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)

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JOANA PASTRO

Joana Pastro and her mother

I was lucky to have many wonderful teachers, but today I’ll honor the very best one: my mom, Maria da Penha Pedrosa! While we lived in England she taught me the Brazilian curriculum at our kitchen table every day after school. Thanks to her love and dedication, when we returned home I achieved perfect scores on my report cards and was able to start fourth grade right away. Thank you, Mum!

—Joana Pastro, author LILLYBELLE, A DAMSEL NOT IN DISTRESS, illustrated by Jhon Ortiz (Boyds Mill & Kane)

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THANK YOU, TEACHERS! For more Teacher Appreciation stories, be sure to check out our posts from Monday and Wednesday. And if you haven’t already, please tell us about a special teacher in your life in the comments.

Read Across America Giveaway Winners!

Announcing 5 Winners in the Soaring ‘20s Read Across America Giveaway!

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Thank you to everyone who participated in our recent book and Skype visit giveaway. We’re thrilled to announce five lucky winners who will each receive a picture book and a classroom Skype visit! Winners are being contacted via email.

If you didn’t win this time, stay tuned because our next giveaway with EVEN MORE BOOKS will take place in early May!

LINDA MITCHELL won a copy of Muslim Girls Rise: Inspirational Champions of Our Time (Salaam Reads)

Plus a classroom Skype visit with author Saira Mir

ERIN VARLEY won a copy of The Voice that Won the Vote: How One Woman’s Words Made History (Sleeping Bear Press)

Plus a classroom Skype visit with author Elisa Boxer

DEE KNABB won a copy of Wood, Wire, Wings: Emma Lilian Todd Invents an Airplane (Calkins Creek)

Plus a classroom Skype visit with author Kirsten W. Larson

JENNIFER FISK won a copy of How Long Is Forever? (Charlesbridge)

Plus a classroom Skype visit with author Kelly Carey (pictured above left)

AMANDA O’NEAL won a copy of Clyde Goes to School (Penguin Workshop)

Plus a classroom Skype visit with author Keith Marantz AND illustrator Larissa Marantz

Thank you so much to all who entered, and don’t forget to check back in May for our next giveaway and more chances to win!