Updated: Mar 28
Barack Obama's First Presidential Seder
A TRUE TALE WITH
A CHERRY ON TOP
Crown Books for Young Readers
(pub. 3.4.2025)
40 pages
Ages 4 - 8
Author: Richard Michelson
Illustrator: E.B. Lewis
Characters: President Barack Obama and Seder guests
Overview:
" In 1800, President John Adams held the first formal Christmas dinner at the newly built White House. In 1878, President Rutherford B. Hayes observed Easter with a public “Egg Roll." But it wasn’t until 2009 that a US president officially celebrated Passover.
A year earlier, on the campaign trail, three staffers had to get creative in order to host a Seder dinner. They gathered in a hotel basement, joined by candidate Barack Obama. They made the most of their surroundings and modest dinner, shared the stories and rituals of the holiday, and found connections between their communities. They made a toast and a promise to a future, grander celebration: next year in the White House.
Tantalizing taste:
Senator Barack Obama said, "'The odds were against the Israelites, but patience and hope kept them going when nobody thought they would survive. They believed in hard work and miracles."
It was almost midnight. Everyone was tired, but no one was lonely hungry, or sad. 'We have a family,' Barack said...
Malia and Sasha listen to their father talk about last year's Seder in a basement. Their mother says it is a miracle that the descendants of two enslaved peoples are now free to share a meal together in the White House, at the invitation of America's first black president."
And something more: A Note from Herbie Ziskend, Eric Lesser, and Arun Chanudhary: "The purpose of Passover is to tell the story of freedom in your own way and in your time, and so to be included in a book like this is a tremendous honor...At its heart, it's about the family you have and the family you make."
- Mar 21
Updated: Mar 26
Louisa May Alcott Creates Little Women
A TRUE TALE WITH
A CHERRY ON TOP
Calkins Creek
(Astra Books for Young Readers)
(pub. 1.20.2026)
40 pages
Ages 7 -1o
Author: Kate Hannigan
Illustrator: Sofia Moore
Character: Louisa May Alcott
Overview:
" Louisa May Alcott wrote the beloved classic Little Women, but she started out as just a little girl scribbling in her journal.
Born into the middle of a spirited, creative group of sisters, Louisa was always up for exploration, play, dreaming, and creating—the traits that would one day make her a writer. Even when times were hard, Louisa’s family held each other close and persevered. So when Louisa dared to write a novel, she wrote about the thing that mattered most to her—family! The four Alcott sisters became the four March sisters in the smashing hit novel Little Women."
Tantalizing taste:
"Over ten quick weeks, she wrote from her heart, tapping the skills she'd developed and all she remembered of growing up. Especially how it felt to be a girl with big dreams.
And something more: Kate Hannigan shared in the Author's Note: "Touching on universal themes of love, grief, struggle, and independence, Little Women was one of the first books to shine a light on the lives of ordinary girls - flaws and all. It's inspired countless women to become writers and remains a treasured exploration of childhood, and growing up."
How the Scientist, Writer, and Nature Lover
Changed the Environmental Movement
A TRUE TALE WITH
A CHERRY ON TOP
Calkins Creek
(Astra Books for Young Readers)
(pub. 3.11.2025)
40 pages
Ages 7 -10
Author: Kate Hannigan
Illustrator: Katie Hickey
Character: Rachel Carson
Overview:
"Rachel Carson wasn’t always the Rachel Carson, renowned environmental activist. From her earliest years, Rachel had a passion for nature—to her, it was a fairyland, and she loved to write about her adventures and the creatures she saw. Encouraged by teachers, Rachel wanted nothing more than to study the ocean and its inhabitants. Though unable to finish her PhD due to financial constraints, Rachel found work in science and success as a nature writer.
In the course of her work, Rachel learned about the harm caused by recently developed pesticides and chemicals that made their way into the environment. Desperate to protect nature for future generations even as her health declined, she penned the famous book Silent Spring—a call to action against the threat of the deadly chemicals. The book is anything but quiet, selling more than 2 million copies and leading directly to changes like the Clean Air Act of 1963 and the Clean Water Act of 1972."
Tantalizing taste:
"For the first time in her life, Rachel...
sees the majesty of the vast, churning ocean,
hears the power of the crashing waves,
smells the fishy fragrance on the breeze,
feels her feet sink into the sandy shoreline,
tastes the salty spray of the sea mist."
And something more: Kate Hannigan shared in the Author's Note: "Carson died just eighteen months after Silent Spring was pubished. She didn't live to see the impact of her work, which still resonates today, or to hear the good names people called her - like 'mother of the environmental movement.'"
"We must all have a great sense of responsibility, and not let things happen because everyone takes the comfortable view that someone else is looking after it. Someone else isn't looking after it. It is your responsibility - yours and everyone else's." - Rachel Carson
