Memory Jars

Description

Freda is devastated when she can't eat all the delicious blueberries she's picked. She has to wait a whole year before they're back, and she doesn't want to lose them! But her Gran reminds her that they can save blueberries in a jar, as jam. So Freda begins to save all her favorite things, like the yummy scent of a just-baked chocolate chip cookie, brand-new crayons with pristine, pointy tips, and a cloud shaped exactly like a unicorn. But it turns out that saving everything also means she can't enjoy anything, and Freda realizes that some things are best saved as memories. Vera Brosgol has created another unique, funny, and heartfelt story, perfect for anyone who treasures family and love.

Vera Brosgol was born in Moscow, Russia, in 1984 and moved to the United States when she was five. Her two graphic novels, Anya's Ghost and Be Prepared, were published by First Second, and her debut picture book Leave Me Alone! was a 2017 Caldecott Honor book. She drew storyboards for the animated films Coraline, ParaNorman, and The Boxtrolls. She lives with her dog, Omar, in Portland, Oregon, where she puts all kinds of things into jars every summer. verabee.com

"With poignant force, Brosgol's delicious fable conveys the lesson that some things must be savored in the moment." --Publishers Weekly, starred review "This playful, off-kilter story will resonate with any kid frustrated by a good thing being over too soon." --Booklist, starred review "Visual humor and genuine charm at every turn." --Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books "Readers will delight in Freda's journey to keep her memories safe, as well as her subsequent understanding of what she has done, in a book that would be at home in all collections." --School Library Journal, starred review "Upset that she can't eat every bucketful of blueberries she picked with her gran all in the same afternoon ("they were the best right then and they'd never be any better"), a lovably quirky girl takes "preserving" to a whole new level. Add Brosgol's signature big-eyed characters, a touch of dark humor and a mouthwatering jam recipe, and you've got all the ingredients for a sequel." -The New York Times The Little Guys: "[A] pointed exploration of the notion that collective action just becomes mob rule without a moral foundation." --Booklist, starred review "Brosgol introduces an unexpected idea and adds a clever, collaborative resolution . . . Expertly paced and very funny." --Publishers Weekly "Brisk and clever . . . Oddly charming." --Kirkus Caldecott Honor book Leave Me Alone!: "Funny is hard; Brosgol makes it look easy." --NPR, Best Books of 2016 "Both classic and ultracontemporary . . . especially for children who like to shout along." --The New York Times Book Review "So well-executed, it feels almost unfair that this is Brosgol's first foray into picture books." --The Huffington Post "Hilariously mingles elements both folkloric and intergalactic." --The Wall Street Journal "Brosgol is a master." --School Library Journal, starred review "Delightful." --Publisher's Weekly, starred review