Oscar's Half Birthday

YOU GUYS I LOVE BOB GRAHAM SO MUCH.

You see, no one can wait a full year to throw Oscar a party. It's adorable and sweet and kind of makes me teary eyed. I'm totally throwing my child a half-birthday picnic inspired by this book.

The thing I love about Bob Graham is that his families are shown in urban settings, doing things people in cities do (walking past graffiti covered bridges, looking at traffic and factories). And the parents in this one are biracial but no one makes a big deal out of it, it's just normal life (I can only think of one other picture book, The Hello Goodbye Window,like this). The illustrations are so intricate that you can spend tons of time going over details. Oh and in some of his other books the parents have show more tattoos but it also isn't a big deal.

Bob Graham is my go-to picture book author for urban hipster parents, basically. show less

This is the story about how Oscar's family sets out to celebrate his "six-month-a-versary". They travel through the city, over the highway, and through the woods to their special picnic spot :-) where all of the people gathered in the park take the time to sing happy birthday. This book shows how very clearly people doat on babies and can make the older sibling feel left out, BUT, in the end, they remind the older sister that her day is coming up next.
I love that Bob Graham's books have such normal, everyday issues depicted. I think it's a good way to show children that they are not alone in their feelings.

The book highlights a biracial family, which I thought was cool. it also does a good job of showing areas where many kids live, inner cities. It decides to take a different approach though, and made it all look very bright and happy. Even the family walking under a bridge with shopping carts strewn about wasn't a sad image to see, because the family was happy. That seems to be the biggest takeaway from the story, family above all. I would recommend this book for classroom use, it has fantastic artwork, and the language is definitely easy enough for early to middle readers to read on their own. Since it is a family book, I'm sure parents would enjoy reading it aloud as well.

This is a gentle, warm book about a family of four celebrating a little boy’s sixth month birthday. We are never told why this is so important, why the family can’t wait until he is one year old. That, in itself, could generate some interesting discussion.

The mother, father, sister Millie, and baby Oscar go on a picnic. When the parents light a candle on Oscar’s cake, all the people in the park who have been admiring the baby, join in singing “happy birthday.” Millie wears fairy wings throughout the journey as the family enjoys such simple gifts as the wind in the trees, the roar of the train, and the sunshine in the park. The writing is, at times, pure poetry. “Oscar frowns in the dim light – six different expressions on show more his face in the time it takes a leaf to fall.” and “The wind carries their song up over the hill, out across the traffic, higher than churches and factories and apartment buildings. It’s sound falls gently over the city – so faint that, only dogs can hear it. And somewhere down there, the one who started all of this… the half-birthday boy, Oscar, sits tilted at an angle, his fingers curled into Millie’s tuna sandwich. His shoulders are hunched, his head nods, and the light shines through his ears, illuminating them like little lanterns.”

This is a story infused with gentle love. It would be a wonderful book to share with a child who has a tiny baby sister or brother.

The illustrations are soft watercolors, often two-page spreads. They are simple but engaging. The mother is of African descent and the father is of European descent. At the end, each parent is carrying a well-loved, sleepy child.

Highly recommended. show less

This is one of the, overall, most happy books I've ever read. Every character in the book is overflowing with happiness, and the love between Oscar and his parents basically jumps off the page as they head to across the bridge to the park for a 1/2 year birthday celebration.

This book shows a young city-dwelling family celebrating their young baby’s half birthday with a long walk, and a picnic in the community park. This book shows a realistic picture of life in the city, including graffiti on walls, traffic sounds, and strangers in the park who are curious about the family’s celebration. This book is colorful illustrated, poignant in its portrayal of both parents and their personal styles. This book is great for young children and defies stereotypes and popular depictions of families in the suburbs who look a certain way. This story is inclusive, and will allow for many more families to feel seen. One short phrase I took with me from this story was their calling a park the “half country”, showing show more their long journey to get there and how it felt like an oasis from where they lived in the city. show less

This is the story of a family who lives in the city. They have two children, Oscar (6months) and Millie (almost 4). On this particular day the parents decide to celebrate Oscar's half birthday on a hill outside the city with friends and neighbors, cake, and a picnic. Many people from the neighborhood have gathered to celebrate Oscar's birthday with the family and cheer and love are bountiful. Back at home Millie shares her favorite toy dinosaur with Oscar for his birthday. Although the story is simple much of it is told through the illustrations. For instance the reader can see that this is a mixed race family. The affection shared between the family members and their friends is also expressed through the illustrations as well as the show more modern character of the family and their socio-economic status (they appear to live in lower-income housing). show less