Picture books are a great way to read a book without reading a few hundred pages. They still can entertain, give factual information and make you laugh. Of course, you can cry and be mad, too, as everything is there, as well. I have said this before and will say it again: Picture books are legitimate books.
And A Good Morning for Giddo is a very legitimate book. It does not have a big action scene and the message is a little slow in the receiving (it is shown as much as told so you are learning the lesson along with our narrator character) but still a punch packed read. Dahlia Constantine and Irene Latham’s story has a setting we might not be familiar with, but the theme is. A girl is anxious to get to the place at the end of their journey so she can finish a surprise for her beloved grandfather. Of course, he wants to take his time and enjoy the walk with his grandchild. He wants to stop and talk to friends who are having a rough time of things, have a drink with other friends, to see the market, to spend time with his granddaughter and enjoy. Of course, as we go along the girl learns the value of patience, how special saying things like, “Good Morning with roses and jasmine” to dear friends, and starts to enjoy herself.
Then this is all accented with Basma Hosam’s brightly woven images. The text is medium, but the pages have a busyness that allows you to see the market and the movement, without of course, real animation. The colors pop as they are deep, rich, light and bold. They bring to life a culture and place well with looking bouncy. The only issue I had, but most people will probably actually enjoy, is that the illustrations can be a bit cartoon or too “computer looking” for my own tastes.
Due April 7, 2026, read via an online reader copy.