Cynthia Cliff – illustratör

Sophie Blackall's Farmhouse meets Barbara Cooney's Miss Rumphius in this timeless and richly thematic picture book about one girl's experiences on her family's farm and how our traditions involving food can connect people and places through generations.

Mary E. grew. First came one tooth, then another and another.

The apple tree grew. First came one leaf, then another and another.

On their way to Grammie's house, apple dumplings in tow, a mother explains a time-honored family tradition to her daughter. Mom tells the story of Mary E., who grows up alongside the apple tree her parents plant to mark her birth. The apples from the family orchard are used in good times and bad, for medicine and for special recipes like apple butter, spiced ciders, and warm apple cake. But Mary E.'s favorite is apple dumplings, which the family always makes to celebrate birthdays. And so the tradition continues, mother to daughter, past to present, for generations.

Inspired by a box of vintage family photographsincluding some of the real Mary E., the author's second-great-grandmotherCynthia Cliff has written and illustrated a rich family story full of love, tradition, responsibility, and of course, food. The Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, where the author grew up surrounded by her family's orchards, shines in her elegant text and timeless, folk artinfluenced illustrations. Mary E. and the Apple Tree is for readers who love Nell Plants a Tree, Seed by Seed, and My Great-Aunt Arizona. Includes a note from the author, her family apple dumpling recipe, and a selection of vintage family photographs.

Your amygdala works hard to protect you from danger, but what about when it gets things wrong? This amusing character-driven narrative helps children learn to calm their amygdala and control their fight-flight-freeze impulses.

The amygdala is the brain's alarm system that alerts for danger, but sometimes it gets things wrong and needs help calming down. In this picture book, young readers receive kid-friendly information about the amygdala from the amygdala, how it can sometimes get confused, and simple ideas to calm and train it.

The amygdala in How to Train Your Amygdala Bilingual makes complicated concepts accessible to children so they can understand their bodies, practice impulse control, and boost their self-regulation. "You have probably never seen me before, but I am right here in your brain. There is an amygdala in everyone’s brain. It’s true! All humans have one. Many other animals do too."

Throughout the book, the amygdala and the reader practice anxiety-calming and mindfulness strategies such as deep breathing, visualization, and progressive relaxation. With anxiety on the rise among children, learning how to calm the amygdala is a critical life skill. Additional content at the back of the book includes an amygdala's training playbook for kids and more information for adults to help reinforce the book's message.

How to Train Your Amygdala is a 2024 NYC Big Book Award Distinguished Favorite winner.