The Tray of Togetherness @owlkids

The Tray of Togetherness
by Flo Leung (Author / Illustrator)
@ Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound

Booktalk: A little girl and her family are hosting a New Year party, an event marking the Lunar New Year. There’s a lot to do before the guests arrive! First, a trip to the market to fill up the Tray of Togetherness, a special candy box for the partygoers. Each of the eight lucky snacks in the Tray has an auspicious meaning: peanuts for a long life, pistachios for happiness, candied coconut for strong family ties… As the family returns home, they pass out delicious good wishes to the friends and neighbors they meet along the way.

Snippet: We’re having a party–
a New Year party!
And I can hardly wait!

Copyright © 2023 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.

Rainbow Bridge

Rainbow Bridge
by Steve Orlando (Author), Steve Foxe (Author), Mike Marts (Editor), Valentina Bianconi (Artist)
@ Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound

Booktalk: Andy’s parents rescued Rocket when Andy was just a toddler, and they grew up together, with Rocket serving as Andy’s guardian through every one of childhood’s ups and downs. So when Rocket passes away right before Andy’s 14th birthday, he’s rudderless. High school is coming soon and he can’t imagine making that transition without Rocket at his side. The day before school starts, when Andy is at his lowest, he visits Rocket’s grave, and unexpectedly summons the Rainbow Bridge, a gateway to a fantasy world where pets discover their afterlife.

One part heaven and one part limbo, this is a final resting place for pets – but also a realm where any unfinished business must be completed, before restless pet souls twist into bizarre, seemingly malevolent wraiths that haunt the periphery of this otherwise splendid paradise. It’s extremely rare for a human to visit this realm, but Rocket and Andy find each other again in this wondrous pet Valhalla to go on one last epic adventure to help Rocket reunite with his lost littermate, fulfilling Rocket’s last wishes. Here, the roles are reversed, as Andy has to be the strong one and support Rocket in his quest for closure. By adventure’s end, Andy finally gains the confidence to let go of his childhood and enter the next phase of his life, starting his first day of high school.

Snippet:

Copyright © 2023 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.