Rhythm

• The Children’s Book Council (CBC) - K-2nd grade CHILDREN'S FAVORITE

A beautiful, hopeful picture book about finding comfort in nature, discovering strength through change, and seeing that even in difficult times, there is always something to look forward to

In a town facing unemployment and food insecurity, one young girl watches her community and the seasons change around her. Winter brings hearty soups and cozy days. Spring brings soft breezes and pale-yellow afternoons. Summer and fall bring new colors, sounds, and surprises. Through every season, one special tree remains her steady friend, offering acorns, dried leaves, crocuses, and peaceful views of the sky and stars.

With its gentle storytelling and soothing connection to the natural world, this inspiring picture book gives children a comforting way to understand change, resilience, and hope. The story encourages young readers to notice the small gifts around them and find strength in the people, places, and routines that help them feel grounded, even when life feels uncertain.

Key features:

• a gentle story about resilience and hope: helps children explore how to find strength, comfort, and hope during challenging or uncertain times
• celebrates the changing seasons: invites children to notice the beauty, rhythms, and small wonders that each season brings
• a comforting story about community and nature: shows how a familiar place and the natural world can provide stability, connection, and joy
• great for social-emotional learning: offers an accessible way to talk with children about change, difficult circumstances, gratitude, resilience, and finding hope
• trusted publisher: from Magination Press, the children’s imprint of APA, dedicated to emotional well-being and healthy development
   

Jackie Azúa Kramer studied at New York University and earned her MA at Queens College for counseling in education. She is the author of the award-winning The Green Umbrella, which is a Bank Street College Best Children’s Book of the Year,  If You Want to Fall Asleep, and The Boy and the Gorilla.

Jackie lives on Long Island, New York. Visit her websiteopens in new window and find her Twitteropens in new window and Instagramopens in new window.

Taia Morley is an illustrator who works on a variety of projects, from children’s books to packaging art to toys and bookmobiles.

She lives in St. Paul, Minnesota. Visit her websiteopens in new window and find her on Facebookopens in new window, Twitteropens in new window, and Instagramopens in new window.

• Goddard Riverside CBC Children’s Book Prize for Social Justice 2024 Shortlist

A beloved tree helps steady a child during a year of financial hardship in this evocative portrait of nature’s grounding rhythms…Washed with fuzzy textures, carefully drafted scenes align with the subtleties of the story’s socioeconomic context. Azúa Kramer and Morley successfully present a -sensitive story of hope and rebirth in difficult circumstances.
—Publishers Weekly

Watch the author read Rhythmopens in new window.
Interested in this book? Purchase a copy to continue (or start) the conversation with the children in your life.