30 Days of Diverse Picture Books - The Hula-Hoopin' Queen by Thelma Lynne Godin

Today's Day 11 of our 30 Days of Picture Books. As it was Veteran's Day, and gorgeous weather, we spent the day exploring one of the lovely state parks in our area. Hiking, walking the beach, kicking the soccer ball - pretty much a perfect day for Sprout, even though he was disappointed not to be in school!

Tonight's pick is a pretty new book published by one of my favorite publishers, Lee & Low. One of these days I'm going to do a post on the best publishers for multicultural lit and Lee & Low will be at the top of that list. With quality offerings like The Hula-Hoopin' Queen by Thelma Lynne Godin, it's not hard to see why - their books are always very well done and they are some of Sprout's top picks.

Godin's book focuses on Kameeka, who's given some tasks to do for a very special lady's birthday but who's got her mind on hula-hooping instead. Kameeka wants to beat her rival, but in her quest to do so, she almost ruins Miz Adeline's party. There's a surprise twist at the end of this one that makes everything all right, and adds a joyfulness to the story that makes it even better. And the illustrations by Vanessa Brantley-Newton are beautifully exuberant - her renditions of Godin's characters are so expressive they fairly leap off the page. It's absolutely a wonderful title.

The Hula-Hoopin' Queen is full of lessons about putting others first and being thoughtful, but Godin delivers it all in a lighthearted way, making this a sure-fire hit for reading aloud. (You might want to dig out the hula-hoops first though -- pretty sure you'll be needing them after storytime!)

The Hula-Hoopin' Queen by Thelma Lynne Godin, published by Lee & Low Books