Yours In Books written by Julie Falatko, illustrated by Gabriel Alborozo; Cameron Kids, 2021.

Told entirely in letters, this warm and whimsical picture book celebrates the joy and treasure of new friendships that challenge us to grow and flourish. Owl relishes solitude and turns to books to help him solve problems–such as coping with the rowdy young ones with whom he shares the forest. When he corresponds with the local bookshop owner seeking assistance with helpful titles, he gets more than he bargained for, much to his eventual delight.

Why this Book? Why will it matter to kids?

As you read aloud the letters and follow the story told so adeptly in the illustrations in this picture book, young listeners will gain an appreciation not only for the value of friendship to both the giver and receiver, but also insight into the qualities that make a friendship meaningful and give it depth. Letters and letter writing are an added bonus to be explored.

Levels and Layers of Learning

Illustration © Gabriel Alborozo

Using This Book in the Classroom

Hit the Ground Running
Ready Resources for Educators, Homeschoolers, and Parents

Find information about Yours In Books on author Julie Falatko’s website.

Write Away!
Ideas to prompt writing

Have students pair up and correspond with one another on a given topic, problem, or created scenario.

As a group, create a list of the qualities Bessie Squirrel possesses that make her a good friend to Owl T. Fencepost. Have students write about one quality they feel is especially important to Owl and explain why.

Over the course of the story, friendship grows through the exchange of letters about books. Make a list of the book titles found in the story. Ask students to imagine a new title Bessie might suggest to Owl. Why this book? What book might Owl suggest to his new friend, Squirrel? To the neighborhood kids?

Write about why Bessie Squirrel is a good friend.

Illustration © Gabriel Alborozo

Poetry Break
Related poetry to recite before or following the reading of this book

Poetry breaks fit perfectly into brief moments in the day—from opening or closing the day to lining up for lunch; from zipping up backpacks and jackets to transitioning from one subject to the next. Reading a poem typically takes less than a minute, yet it can introduce or reinforce a concept, celebrate language, exemplify rhythm, enhance vocabulary, expand understanding, increase attention span, initiate reflection, or summon a giggle. And, poetry soothes and strengthens the spirit.

Below are selected poetry books that pair well with Yours In Books:

• Friends and Foes: poems about us all by Douglas Florian
• Noisy Poems for a Busy Day by Robert Heidbreder, illustrated by Lori Joy Smith
• “Writing About Reading” and “Thank You Notes” in Write! Write! Write! by Amy Ludwig VanDerwater, illustrated by Ryan O’Rourke

And Then There’s This…
Enrichment activities, related books, online resources, craft projects, and ideas for further study

Related Books of Interest:

The following list of recommended books to read aloud pair well with Yours In Books:

• Bunny Wishes: A Winter’s Tale by Michaela Morgan, illustrated by Caroline Jayne Church
• The Day the Crayons Quit (see also: The Day the Crayons Came Home) by Drew Daywalt, illustrated by Oliver Jeffers
• Dear Annie by Judith Caseley
• Dear Dragon by Josh Funk, illustrated by Rodolfo Montalvo
• Dear Mrs. LaRue: Letters from Obedience School by Mark Teague
• The Gardener by Sarah Stewart, illustrated by David Small (Caldecott Honor)
• Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah!: A Letter from Camp by Allan Sherman and Lou Busch, illustrated by Jack E. Davis
• Meerkat Mail by Emily Gravett
• Sincerely, Emerson: A Girl, Her Letter, and the Helpers All Around Us by Emerson Weber, illustrated by Jaclyn Sinquett
• Thank You, Santa by Margaret Wild, illustrated by Kerry Argent

Meet the Illustrator

Gabriel Alborozo has been working as a cartoonist and illustrator since selling his first cartoon to Private Eye at the age of 15. In the following thirty years he has also worked for Punch, The Spectator, The Oldie and Prospect amongst many others. 

He has had books published by Bloomsbury, Walker, Henry Holt’s, Candlewick, Egmont, Simon and Schuster, Childsplay, Allen and Unwin, Levine Querido, and ABC Melody.

Sprinkled throughout has been work as a background artist for animation in Australia and several years travelling to some astonishingly hot and uncomfortable places as an archaeological illustrator on behalf of the British Museum and other institutions. 

He is currently to be found with his wife, happily drawing (and writing) away in East Sussex. Learn more on Gabriel’s website.

Backstory: Q & A with Gabriel Alborozo

I immediately was taken with the delightful art in Yours In Books when the picture book crossed my desk. I am delighted that Gabriel was kind enough to answer a few questions about the illustrations for this book and his career in illustration overall.

Judy Bradbury: How did you decide how to illustrate Yours In Books?

Gabriel Alborozo: Several years ago I essentially retired form illustrating picture books, in the sense that I wasn’t actively seeking the work, but when I was approached to illustrate this book I knew I had to do it. I found Julie’s text extremely funny, charming, and sweet. I also identified quite strongly with Owl.

JB: Tell about one hurdle you experienced in the creation of the art for Yours In Books or provide a memorable (or humorous!) anecdote related to the making of this book.

GA: Creating the illustrations actually went very smoothly compared to many of the books I’ve worked on.  Saying that, there were several spreads that proved quite difficult to get right. With the collaboration of team at Cameron we got them working eventually.

JB: What did you learn from illustrating Yours in Books?

GA: In some ways I realized that I could loosen up my style a little more than I previously had done. Also, the actual message of the book did give me a little nudge to perhaps not be quite so curmudgeonly as I can possibly tend to be.

JB: What would surprise readers to learn about you or about the illustrating of Yours in Books?

GA: Honestly I really couldn’t imagine. There’s potentially a lot in my past that might surprise people, especially if they knew me, but I’m not sure where to start in picking something out. In terms of the book, perhaps it’s that I essentially illustrated the entire story three times before I sent the work to the publisher.

JB: The theme in Yours In Books is the idea that there is value in opening yourself to new experiences–and that good friends can help with that. How did you decide what to emphasize in the illustrations to reinforce this idea?

GA: The compositions were based mainly on getting a certain feeling across rather than anything concretely specific. As an example, the pages where Owl is preparing to go out required the emphasis on him trying to take a certain care in it.

JB: What do you hope young readers and listeners will take away from Yours in Books?

GA: That it’s extremely easy to not do something compared to actually pushing the edges of your comfort zone, but when you do, the results are more often than not rewarding. Outside of that I just hope children will enjoy a bright and funny book.

JB: What’s next?

GA: Since ‘retiring’ from children books I have focused on natural history painting. Since illustrating this book, the last year or so working I’ve been working on my paintings for a natural history book for a publisher in the UK. It will be released in Autumn 2022.

JB: What is one question you wish I had asked, and what is your answer?

GA: Perhaps ‘Would you do anything differently if you  were to illustrate Yours In Books again?’

And the answer…

Potentially I’d add a lot more detail but also have another six months to work on the book. An illustrator is never completely happy with the work, so a chance to tweak tiny details, a line here, there etc., would always be good.

About the Author

Yours In Books is written by Julie Falatko. Learn more about her books here.

Over to You…

Join the conversation! Offer your thoughts on the featured question related to this month’s post. You are also welcome to post a general comment.

What recently published holiday book celebrating inclusion do you recommend? Share the title and author of the book in the comments section.

Thanks for sharing!

News & Updates

Book 3 in The Cayuga Island Kids series, The Case of the Messy Message and the Missing Facts, hits the shelves in March! View the book trailer. Read a review on goodreads. Pre-order a copy and be entered in a raffle to receive swag to go along with the book!

Here’s a listing of my upcoming events.

I am currently booking brief virtual sessions with students on World Read Aloud Day, February 2, 2022. Contact me to arrange a visit.

Final Thought