October’s book: The Dot by Peter Reynolds

Art class is over, but Vashti is sitting glued to her chair in front of a blank piece of paper. Her teacher smiled, "Just make a mark and see where it takes you.” But Vashti thinks she can’t draw - she’s no artist. To prove her point, Vashti jabs at a blank sheet of paper to make an unremarkable dot. "There!" she said. That one little dot marked the beginning of Vashti’s journey of self-discovery of her own creative spirit.

Also claiming that he was not an artist, Dwight D. Eisenhower stumbled into the painting hobby after World War II. Through it, Ike found peace and a creative outlet that stayed with him for the rest of his life. Students will enjoy listening to The Dot, learn about Ike’s painting hobby, and then tap into their own painting creativity.

November’s book: Magic Ramen: The Story of Momofuku Ando, written by Andrea Wang and illustrated by Kana Urbanowicz

In Magic Ramen, protagonist Momofuku encounters people lined up in the bitter cold waiting for the smallest bit of food amid the rubble of Japan after World War II. “The world is peaceful only when everyone has enough to eat,” he thought. Haunted by this memory, Ando worked in a little shed in his backyard, experimenting and trying to create a new kind of noodle soup that was quick to make, nutritious, and tasty in order to feed the hungry: ramen noodles!

Ike witnessed the starvation faced by people in devastated post-World War II countries, as well as the Marshall Plan that helped provide food and resources for those people to rebuild. In fact, General Dwight Eisenhower spent his first Thanksgiving after World War II urging Congress to increase funding for United Nations’ hunger relief. He knew the mission of World War II was not complete until we defeated the enemy of hunger. This non-fiction children’s book envelopes the spirit of the Food for Peace program that President Eisenhower initiated as well as an appreciation for different cultural norms.

Eloise at Christmastime, written by Kay Thompson and illustrated by Hilary Knight

Eloise has always had a rather festive air about her, but when Christmastime rolls around, well, it's "Fa la la la fa la la la lolly ting tingledy here and there," of course. She rushes around New York's Plaza Hotel on Christmas Eve, jingling, spreading Christmas cheer, tying tassels on the thermostats, and writing "Merry Christmas" on all the walls. Eloise, in her unflinchingly joyous ways, reminds us to cast aside our daily worries and to simply play. She allows her untethered imagination to take full rein and her genuine self to shine as bright as the visions of sugarplums that dance in her head.