Birthdays are a very popular topic in children’s books, but The Law of Birthdays is unusual. Why?
Sure, it’s about one of the most ubiquitous parts of the celebration, the eating of cake. BUT BUT BUT what if you don’t want to eat cake? What then?
And what if the king has made it the law of the land? What does one do when it’s time to “cake the children”?
Enter “the girl.” She is not named, which makes her “any kid.” She does, however, have an opinion, one she voices freely. The guards first try to wheedle and cajole her into eating cake. And then the king steps in.
But the girl will have none of it. In fact, she turns the tables on the king, in a kind of Socratic moment, asking him questions until he understands that everyone (not just him) should have a choice about what they do or do not eat.
Yay! A victory for kid choice!! Because, after all, there are more citizens of the kingdom than there are kings. (Shades of Marie Antoinette’s sudden demise, heh heh.)
I love how a story that’s ultimately about making a personal choice and sticking to it (and not harassing others about their personal choices) is tucked within this fun and funny book. There’s even a “prep” page with questions to ask a child before, during, and after reading, and back pages to guide follow-up discussion about choice. Brilliant!!!
Plus, the illustrations knock the story out of the park. The facial expressions and body language of the characters are pitch perfect, as is the dark-night-of-the-soul spread where the girl finally loses her patience with the king, her head with its flowing red hair filling two-thirds of the spread. You can viscerally feel her exasperation-desperation at not being heard.
Kids are going to want to read this book over and over again for the sheer delight of seeing a character take a stand against not just an adult, but a king!! And getting him to come around to their way of thinking. Plus, there’s a little twist at the end that will leave kids grinning. After all, everyone has the right to change their mind.
Highly recommended!!
Activities:
Pair this book with others about personal choice and space, such as Don’t Hug Doug by Carrie Finison, illus. by Daniel Wiseman, and Rissy No Kissies by Katey Howe, illus. by Jess Engle. Talk about times when you’ve felt pressured to go along with what everyone else was doing/saying/thinking. How can you help yourself and others feel comfortable about making choices, regardless of what your peers are doing? How can you explain your choices to an adult politely and successfully?
Take a survey of your class or your school, asking “What is your favorite thing to eat on your birthday?” You might be surprised by how many people say something other than cake. Make a bar chart with all of the different options everyone mentions, showing how many people chose each one. If you’re in 4th or 5th grade, calculate the percentages that chose each option.
Make an origami party popper.
Title: The Law of Birthdays: A Story About Choice
Author: Brenna Jeanneret
Illustrator: Marina Kondra
Publisher: Cardinal Rule Press, 2024
Ages: Pre-K – elementary school
Themes: birthdays, choice, cake
For more perfect picture book recommendations, please visit Susanna Hill’s website.