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    The Children's Book Review

    Mary Lyn Ray, Author of The Thank You Book | Selfie And A Shelfie

    Bianca SchulzeBy Bianca Schulze4 Mins Read Ages 4-8 Author Interviews Gift Books Picture Books Social Graces
    Mary-Lyn-Ray-Author-of-The-Thank-You-Book-Selfie-And-A-Shelfie
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    The Children’s Book Review | October 26, 2018

    Mary Lyn Ray’s Selfie with The Thank You Book

    When I start to write a story, I don’t usually begin with an idea or someone’s suggestion. Instead, something that seems to have story around it pulls me in, and from what attaches to that I discover what it’s about. So when my editor asked if I might write a book for young readers about gratitude, that was different. I sat a long time with blank paper. How to even introduce this word that’s not in our first vocabulary? But if “gratitude” isn’t, “thank you” is; and with that I found a way in. Now, here’s the book—twined around a child’s day, a child’s year, and their place in the world they are part of.

    Mary-Lyn-Ray-selfie

    This is not, however, a book of manners. Nor is it really anything that has to be taught. In the privacies of their lives, children often feel already a certain “happy little hum” of gratitude but may not know the name of what they’re feeling. Or they may not go through a day thinking about it. In celebration of glue and glitter, laps and books, zippers when warm days turn cold, as well as this earth we ride on, family and home, and all else we say a thank you for, this book invites that.

    Mary Lyn Ray’s Shelfie

    Books outgrew my library shelves, so they’re all through the house. The ones you see here are mostly poetry and books about a sense of place. Poetry is necessary to me, reminding me of what the heart can know and where we can ride language to. And place? From my earliest memory, that was my first subject, when I was first looking around at the world. And some place is often where my stories have their beginnings.

    Mary-Lyn-Ray-shelfie

    To the right, in the next room, is my piano–almost the only thing shiny in my house. To the left, at the far end of the table, are windows that look out on fields and woods and stonewalls. Usually my camera is on the table. And, always, something to write on and write with. Because looking, listening, waiting, windows, piano, and writing (besides the stuff of a life–and my dog!) are what shape my days.

    —

    The Thank You BookThe Thank You Book

    Written by Mary Lyn Ray

    Illustrated by Stephanie Graegin

    Publisher’s Synopsis: Perfect for fans of Margaret Wise Brown and Pat Zietlow Miller’s Be Kind, The Thank You Book explores the many ways of being thankful that can fill a child’s day. Timely, wise, and accessible, the poetic text and tender illustrations celebrate the powerful impact gratitude can have on our lives.

    Thank you isn’t just for learning manners.
    It’s also for when something wakes a
    little hum
    —a little happy hum—inside you
    and you want to answer back.

    The Thank You Book explores the many ways we can be thankful for the pleasures great and small that await us every day. Tender and poetic, it reflects on the role gratitude can play in our lives and celebrates the powerful impact it can have on us.

    Ages 4-7 | Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers | September 4, 2018 | ISBN-13: 978-0544791367

    Available Here

    Text, logoBuy on AmazonLogo

    About the Author

    Mary Lyn Ray has written many acclaimed books for children, including New York Times best-seller Stars, illustrated by Marla Frazee; Pumpkins, illustrated by Barry Root; and Red Rubber Boot Day and Mud, both illustrated by Lauren Stringer. She lives in South Danbury, New Hampshire. Visit her online at marylynray.com.

    Discover more books like ‘The Thank You Book,’ written by Mary Lyn Ray and illustrated by Stephanie Graegin, by checking out our reviews and articles tagged with  Gratitude, Picture Book, and Thanksgiving; and be sure to follow along with our Selfie and a Shelfie series.

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    Gratitude HMH Books for Young Readers Mary Lyn Ray Picture Book Selfie and a Shelfie Stephanie Graegin thankful thankfulness Thanksgiving
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    Bianca Schulze
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    Bianca Schulze is the founder of The Children’s Book Review. She is a reader, reviewer, mother and children’s book lover. She also has a decade’s worth of experience working with children in the great outdoors. Combined with her love of books and experience as a children’s specialist bookseller, the goal is to share her passion for children’s literature to grow readers. Born and raised in Sydney, Australia, she now lives with her husband and three children near Boulder, Colorado.

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