BOOK MARKED
Let the Party Begin!
12 Books Celebrating
Special Occasions
BY JENNIFER ROTHSCHILD, COLLECTION ENGAGEMENT LIBRARIAN, ARLINGTON
PUBLIC LIBRARY
Parties are a great time to connect with friends and
family and meet new people. These books explore all
types of parties and the feelings that surround them,
from uninvited guests and weather-related disasters
to making new friends and how a good event can
help change the world.

PICTURE BOOKS
“It Was Supposed to Be Sunny”
written and illustrated by
Samantha Cotterill
Laila has plans and charts for everything,
especially her upcoming birthday party. But the
weather doesn’t cooperate, and doing the obstacle
course inside results in a cake disaster. Laila is
ready to cancel the party, but some helpful ideas
from her mom and a few quiet minutes spent
with her therapy dog allow her to enjoy the big
day. While the hints in the story and the included
back matter will be helpful for kids with sensory
processing disorders, anxiety, or autism (like
Laila), they will also be useful for any kid who
wants a special day to be perfect.

“Your Birthday Was the Best!”
by Maggie Hutchings, illustrated by
Felicita Sala
A cockroach is having the best time enjoying
all the games and festivities at a young child’s
birthday party until he wears himself out with all
the excitement and falls asleep on the birthday
cake. Luckily, everyone is so excited to see him
that their screams wake him up so he can have
more fun. Young readers will love the cockroach’s
sunny attitude about the best birthday party, even
if he is not a welcome guest.

“Going Up!”
by Sherry J. Lee, illustrated by
Charlene Chua
Olive’s birthday party is on the 10th floor of
28 Washington FAMILY MAY 2022
June’s apartment building. She and her dad, along
with a platter of fresh-baked cookies, get in the
elevator. At every floor, the elevator stops to let
in more people. The excitement for the party
builds and builds as more people pack in until
they finally reach the top of the building. The
final spread reveals everyone spilling out of the
elevator to celebrate the guest of honor.

BEGINNING READERS
“Cupcake Fix: A Branches Book”
(Layla and the Bots #3)
by Vicky Fang, illustrated by
Christine Nishiyama
In this third adventure, Layla (inventor and
rock star) is helping with the grand opening
celebration of the new community center.

The mayor is worried that attendance will be low.

She and her robots build a cupcake machine to
help attract a crowd. Delicious hijinks ensue in
this fun series that weaves in STEAM concepts
and includes at-home activities for readers to try
for themselves.

“We Will Find Your Hat!:
A Conundrum!”
written and illustrated by Candy James
Fox cousins Reddie and Archie are back in this
early-reader graphic novel. It’s Hat Day, the
hattiest day of the year, but when Reddie goes to
pick up Archie, Archie can’t find his hat. The two
must search through piles and piles of Archie’s
belongings to find the missing hat. Will they be
able to find it in time for the party? A silly read