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How to Have a Birthday

Author Mary Lyn Ray
Illustrated by Cindy Derby
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Hardcover
$17.99 US
Candlewick
9.38"W x 10.13"H x 0.36"D   | 15 oz | 32 per carton
On sale Sep 14, 2021 | 32 Pages | 9781536207415
Age 4-8 years | Preschool - 3
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Joyful and utterly unique, this vibrant picture book celebrates the best birthday gift of all: a whole day that is yours to unwrap.

Wise and infinitely cozy, Mary Lyn Ray’s simple text and Cindy Derby’s fluid, playful illustrations invite readers of all ages to view that most extraordinary of ordinary days in a simple but festive new light, as if for the first time. What makes birthdays special? Whether you are turning three or one hundred and three, whether you are feted by others or sing yourself happy, the anticipation and surprise of the day you were born never fail to deliver “that shivery feeling that belongs only to a birthday.” An ideal gift for new and expectant parents, for children marking a birthday or attending their first party—for everyone who was ever born! This exuberant celebration in words and pictures will leave you feeling a warm connection to the cycle of life and growth.
Using radiant, translucent pastels, pencil, watercolor, and gouache to show celebrations in different seasons, Derby (Two Many Birds) centers three children throughout this book’s spreads. . . this is a fitting, visually luxuriant tribute to one of the greatest days on the kid calendar.
—Publishers Weekly

A delightful conversation starter on a topic of perennial interest to young children.
—Kirkus Reviews

Derby’s gleaming mixed-media illustrations follow three different kids celebrating in different families with different ways. . . audiences will also thrill to the sequence of glorious birthday cakes and an epic pile of presents (plus a birthday crown). . . a tender way to articulate why, beyond the loot and treats, birthdays feel special; youngsters will enjoy recognizing “that shivery feeling that belongs only to a birthday.”
—The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

Ray’s lyrical text showcases everyone’s choices, no matter how they celebrate. Derby’s watercolor and pastel illustrations are gentle and warm, showing stars streaking across a beautiful indigo sky. . . lovely.
—School Library Journal
Mary Lyn Ray is the author of The House of Grass and Sky, illustrated by E. B. Goodale; the New York Times bestseller Stars, illustrated by Marla Frazee; and several other distinguished picture books. She lives in New Hampshire.

Cindy Derby is the author-illustrator of Two Many Birds and How to Walk Like an Ant and the illustrator of The Boy and the Gorilla by Jackie Azúa Kramer, Outside In by Deborah Underwood, and other acclaimed picture books. She lives in San Francisco.
Mary Lyn Ray View titles by Mary Lyn Ray
Cindy Derby View titles by Cindy Derby

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About

Joyful and utterly unique, this vibrant picture book celebrates the best birthday gift of all: a whole day that is yours to unwrap.

Wise and infinitely cozy, Mary Lyn Ray’s simple text and Cindy Derby’s fluid, playful illustrations invite readers of all ages to view that most extraordinary of ordinary days in a simple but festive new light, as if for the first time. What makes birthdays special? Whether you are turning three or one hundred and three, whether you are feted by others or sing yourself happy, the anticipation and surprise of the day you were born never fail to deliver “that shivery feeling that belongs only to a birthday.” An ideal gift for new and expectant parents, for children marking a birthday or attending their first party—for everyone who was ever born! This exuberant celebration in words and pictures will leave you feeling a warm connection to the cycle of life and growth.

Praise

Using radiant, translucent pastels, pencil, watercolor, and gouache to show celebrations in different seasons, Derby (Two Many Birds) centers three children throughout this book’s spreads. . . this is a fitting, visually luxuriant tribute to one of the greatest days on the kid calendar.
—Publishers Weekly

A delightful conversation starter on a topic of perennial interest to young children.
—Kirkus Reviews

Derby’s gleaming mixed-media illustrations follow three different kids celebrating in different families with different ways. . . audiences will also thrill to the sequence of glorious birthday cakes and an epic pile of presents (plus a birthday crown). . . a tender way to articulate why, beyond the loot and treats, birthdays feel special; youngsters will enjoy recognizing “that shivery feeling that belongs only to a birthday.”
—The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

Ray’s lyrical text showcases everyone’s choices, no matter how they celebrate. Derby’s watercolor and pastel illustrations are gentle and warm, showing stars streaking across a beautiful indigo sky. . . lovely.
—School Library Journal

Author

Mary Lyn Ray is the author of The House of Grass and Sky, illustrated by E. B. Goodale; the New York Times bestseller Stars, illustrated by Marla Frazee; and several other distinguished picture books. She lives in New Hampshire.

Cindy Derby is the author-illustrator of Two Many Birds and How to Walk Like an Ant and the illustrator of The Boy and the Gorilla by Jackie Azúa Kramer, Outside In by Deborah Underwood, and other acclaimed picture books. She lives in San Francisco.
Mary Lyn Ray View titles by Mary Lyn Ray
Cindy Derby View titles by Cindy Derby

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