The Goldenrod's Wintertime Gift Guide: Kentucky Books for Kids (and Teens)
Seek out these local librarian-recommended works for the young folks in your life this holiday season.
In a year when stories about “supply chain” issues are constantly flashing on cable news and the weariness of a second, not-so-normal pandemic holiday is upon us, The Goldenrod’s first-ever wintertime gift guide is keeping suggestions as local and inexpensive as possible. No item we recommend will be over $25, and all are either a) made by Kentuckians or b) about Kentucky. Simple as pie.
Let’s kick things off with book recommendations for babies, tweens and everything in-between as suggested by local public librarians…
The Goldenrod's Wintertime Gift Guide: Kentucky Books for Kids
Rock and Roll Woods, $16.99
Author: Sherry Howard
Illustrator: Anika A. Wolf
Age Group: 5-8 years old
Howard—a former Kentucky Council for Exceptional Children Special Education Administrator of the Year—penned Rock and Roll Woods, her first book, as a way to help children with sensory issues adapt to change. Kuda is a bit of a grump who doesn’t like change. So when he wakes up to find new neighbors and loud, strange noises in his woods, he is not happy. Will his desire to be with his friends overcome his objections to loud sounds? And might Kuda’s courage help him discover that new things—and rock and roll music—can be pretty great? (Bonus: the book features helpful information about Sensory Integration!)
Recommended by Phyllis Albright, Director, Nicholas County Public Library
A is for Appalachia: The Alphabet Book of Appalachian Heritage, $15.72
Author: Linda Hager Pack
Illustrator: Pat Banks
Age Group: 6-9 years old
One of the more breathtaking, sweeping ABC books out there today, this watercolor masterpiece explores Appalachian traditions while teaching those all-important letters. (Along similar alphabet book lines, Margret England, Director of the Clinton County Public Library, recommends B is for Bluegrass: A Kentucky Alphabet Book by Mary Ann McCabe Riehle.)
Recommended by Sammie Betler, Assistant Director, Casey County Public Library
Ragsale, from $1.93
Author: Artie Ann Bates
Illustrator: Jeff Chapman-Cane
Age Group: 5-8 years old
This 90s-classic struck a chord with young, rural readers (like, ahem, me) 25+ years ago and still does today. “Nearly photographic in their precision and clarity, the arresting paintings that…Chapman-Crane contributes to this tale set in Appalachia transmit memorable images of small-town America during a simpler era…[telling the story] of a girl accompanying her mother, sister, grandmother, aunt and cousin on a one-day tour of three “ragsales,” where they pore over second-hand clothing, books and furnishings and make a few purchases before returning home,” Publishers Weekly gushed about this mountain town favorite all the way back in 1995.
Recommended by Phyllis Albright, Director, Nicholas County Public Library
Hope in the Holler, $9.99
Author: Lisa Lewis Tyre
Age Group: 9-12 years old
Right before Wavie's mother died, she gave Wavie a list of instructions to help her find her way in life, including this one: Be brave, Wavie B! You got as much right to a good life as anybody, so find it! But little did Wavie's mom know that events would conspire to bring Wavie back to Conley Hollow, the Appalachian hometown her mother tried to leave behind. Now Wavie's back in the Holler—and in the clutches of her Aunt Samantha Rose. Life with the devilish Samantha Rose and her revolting cousin Hoyt is no picnic, but there's real pleasure in sleeping in her own mother's old bed and making friends with the funny, easygoing kids her aunt calls the “neighborhood-no-accounts.” With their help, Wavie just might be able to prevent her aunt from becoming her legal guardian, and find her courage and place in the world.
Recommended by Sammie Betler, Assistant Director, Casey County Public Library
Homemade Love, $7.99
Author: bell hooks
Illustrator: Shane W. Evans
Age Group: Birth-2 years old
It might come as a surprise to some, but iconic author, feminist scholar and Berea College professor bell hooks has written—yep!—some amazing board books for the youngest among us. A three-pack of hooks’ baby-focused works—Homemade Love, Be Boy Buzz and Skin Again—would make the perfect snuggly gift for a new parent.
Hiram’s Gift, from $15.99
Author: Nancy Kelly Allen
Illustrator: Debbie Bolton
Age Group: 5-10 years old
Drawing from the history of Alice Lloyd College’s Christmastime generosity with area children in Knott County, Hiram’s Gift is not only a heart-warming story about helping community, but is printed in a dyslexic-inclusive font, making it an ideal introductory chapter book for all young readers. Hiram builds fires to heat the two-room schoolhouse and earns dimes for his trouble. With a heart full of hope, he saves his money in a sock [for a] maple fiddle. But tragedy strikes. Hiram uses the dimes to help his family and sets his hopes on a gift from the Christmas elves that send a present to every child in school. Hiram delights in the simple presents he receives and those gifts change the course of his life.
Recommended by Phyllis Albright, Director, Nicholas County Public Library
Dress Codes for Small Towns, $10.99
Author: Courtney Stevens
Age Group: 14-17 years old
Stevens—who grew up in the tiny town of Bandana—captures small town Kentucky through the perceptive eyes of a modern, stereotype-bucking teen. As the tomboy daughter of the town’s preacher, Billie McCaffrey has always struggled with fitting the mold of what everyone says she should be. She’d rather wear sweats, build furniture and get into trouble with her solid group of friends: Woods, Mash, Davey, Fifty and Janie Lee. But when Janie Lee confesses to Billie that she’s in love with Woods, Billie’s filled with a nagging sadness as she realizes that she is also in love with Woods…and maybe with Janie Lee, too. Always considered “one of the guys,” Billie doesn’t want anyone slapping a label on her sexuality before she can understand it herself. Readers will be drawn to Billie as she comes to terms with the gray areas of love, gender and friendship.
Recommended by Sammie Betler, Assistant Director, Casey County Public Library
The Meatshower: The Mostly True Tale of an Odd (and Somewhat Edible) Occurrence, $18.00
Author: Mick Sullivan
Illustrator: Shae Goodlett
Age Group: 8-12 years old
One strange day in 1876, chunks of meat mysteriously fell from the sky in Bath County, Kentucky. Today, only one of the curious meat specimen remains—alone in a bottle on a museum shelf. This is its story.
And as always, gifting a child a library card is an easy—and free!—way to launch a love of reading for life. Visit the Kentucky Library Association to find your local branch.
We’ll be back tomorrow with our second installment of The Goldenrod’s Wintertime Gift Guide. If you know a friend who could use some ideas for nieces, nephews or neighborhood kids, why not send this newsletter along?