With Heartfelt Thanks to The Children's Book...

 Honestly?

It's been One Unimaginably Unimaginable Year for a Non-Stop Finder

of Life's Silver Linings.

But fortunately, as Elaine Stritch sang in her signature Sondheim song,

"I'm still here."

I keep keepin' on, no matter the state of my World(s).

So, "How?" you might ask.

Well, I did turn to my Sure-fire Cures when I first felt my Positive

Mental Attitude whimper:

lakeside walks,

Alfred Caldwell Lily Pond visits,

afternoons at Wrigley,

a Philly Cheesesteak (with fried onions).

Rachmaninoff's 2nd Piano Concerto played in my head day and night.

I resided in Stars Hollow once each day, thanks to a Gilmore Girls 

episode.

Add: daily reflection time, daily inspirational readings, journal writing

and heart-to-hearts with loved ones here and (believe it or not) 

Elsewhere.

My towering grandson's gentle shoulder hug kept me upright and

moving forward, literally and figuratively.

The Good News?  All of the above did indeed help.

The Less-than-Good News? Not quite enough, and for not so long.

Despite my profound gratitude for those who engaged both my head

and heart, the rumblings of my Forever-Always-There-for-Me-and-

Others PMA let me know on a regular basis it was considering

becoming a No-show.

Thankfully, enter The Children's Book.

Rather, the right Children's Book and at just the Right Moment.

It gifted me with what I was so close to losing: i.e. Hope.

In case you forgot: every Children's Book must always offer its

Reader Hope.

Not the proverbial "Happily ever after" ending, which is my 

favorite.

Simply the possibility of such an ending.

Consider what follows a curated month-by-month list of the

children's books that did their job November, 2024 through

today, November 21, 2025, courtesy of my Chicago Public

Library: they informed, amused, encouraged, inspired and

best of all, kept me keepin' on.

Hopefully, they'll do the same for you.

NOVEMBER

..."a fresh and moving look at 

memories, filtered through 

the mind of a child."

DECEMBER

..."a tale of intergenerational friendship

forged through a shared understanding 

of loss."

JANUARY

..."a courageous and resourceful boy

struggles to hold his family together

after his mother doesn't come home."

FEBRUARY

..."a Holocaust memoir of hope when

facing the unimaginable and 

survival, thanks to the kindness of

strangers.

MARCH

..."a historical coming-of-age novel

in which a girl battles her own short-

comings and the random nature of

life."

APRIL

..."the healing power of community 

fixes a neighbor's broken heart."

MAY

..."a mountain-climbing boy finds his

path to healing - and forgiveness..."

JUNE

..."an inside look as well as tribute to

the late great (and my favorite)

children's book creator James

Marshall."

JULY

..."a tender portrait of resilience

and empathy as disaster strikes a 

family."

AUGUST

..."a middle grade girl wrestles with

what it means to 'shine' for a black

girl in a predominantly white

community."

SEPTEMBER

..."a universal parable with a message

about unity, hope and social action."

OCTOBER

..."a love letter to making friends

from unexpected places."

NOVEMBER

..."the true and powerful story of

Portuguese diplomat Aristides de

Sousa Mendes who believed every

life is worth saving."

CURRENTLY ON HOLD:

..."each story splinters into the next 

in this brilliant spin on classic 

tropes that celebrates the power of

imagination and creativity during

uncertain times."

As always, I hung with William Steig's Brave Irene

when necessary. Irene Bobbin's determined effort to 

deliver the dress her suddenly-sick Mother made for

the Duchess - NO MATTER WHAT BEFALLS HER! -

never fails to steel my spine and return me to the

challenging task at hand.

Here at TeachingAuthors we've often celebrated

November, the month of giving Thanks, with

original Thankus.  Since sharing this short poetic

expression of gratitude in 2011 in my National

Day of Writing post, in a string of Novembers

I've personally thanked my treasured writers,

my eager students, my Mentors, my fellow

TeachingAuthors, my Children's Book World,

my grandson, Walter Annenberg, the Chicago

Cubs - and last February, I thanked my Sonny

Boy.

With heartfelt thanks I now add to this list:

             The Children's Book

             The perfect Rx

             for Silver Lining Seekers

             lost and losing Hope.

    [Note, unpoetically expressed:

     Cures weighty hearts, wobbly footing

     and wilting Spirits; administer

     when needed; unlimited dosage]

May you find the Right Book at just the Right

Time to keep you keepin' on!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Oh, and thank you, Janice Scully, at Salt

City Verse for hosting today's Poetry Friday.

Esther Hershenhorn

P.S.

In the spirit of Giving, please feel free to

share in the Comments a children's book

or two that made a difference in your Life

this past year.