I know I have sung Marilyn Singer’s praises here quite a few times, but YOU GUYS!  This book!  THIS book is genius!

In “Every Month is a New Year” Marilyn Singer writes poems about a very narrow topic: new years’ celebrations around the world.  She made the discovery that many different cultures utilize different calendars (and have different celebratory traditions) that extend through our entire calendar year.  So literally every month of the year is the start of someone else’s year.  It was something she had to research and write about.

What is even MORE astonishing is how this book must be read.  It has to be turned sideways to be read LIKE A CALENDAR!!!  I don’t know if this was the author’s choice or the illustrator’s choice or the editor’s choice.  WHOEVER came up with this layout has incredible insight.  And to take things one step further, the beautiful collage illustrations capitalize on the calendar layout as well.  I give you an example below of what this looks like (with my hand in the picture so you can see just HOW I had to turn the book sideways to read it).  Isn’t that pretty?