It’s that time of year again. It’s another birthday season here at Cardinal Rule Press! We are so excited to highlight some of our favorite titles that are turning another year older this fall. People aren’t the only ones that get to celebrate birthdays; we can do it for pets, landmarks, countries, and books, too! For our own birthdays, we plan special parties, gifts, and outfits to celebrate; we invite friends and family for food, cake, and singing. Let these book birthdays be no different! So put on your favorite dress or your shirt and pants, do your hair, put on your best shoes, and let’s get this party started!

First up on our birthday list is Three Pockets Full by Cindy L. Rodriguez and illustrated by Begoña Fernández Corbalán, who turned one year old on July 1st! Three Pockets Full follows a young boy named Beto in the days leading up to his Mami’s wedding. For the wedding, Beto has to wear a traditional Mexican wedding shirt, a guayabera, but he doesn’t want to. He tries everything he can to get rid of it, but his Mami keeps insisting that he wears it, and the shirt just keeps reappearing. A touching story about acceptance, grief, and moving forward, Three Pockets Full is a story for all of us. The rest of the book birthdays happen on October 1st!

One is Cookie and Milk by Michele McAvoy and illustrated by Jessica Gibson, who turns four years old this year! Cookie and Milk are best friends who are also polar opposites; one is a daredevil adventuress, and the other is a lover of the sciences. However, neither would be able to function without the other. In this fun, girl-power filled STEM story, follow Cookie and Milk on their adventures and as they come to the realization about what friendship really means.

Next up is Raja’s Pet Camel by Anita Amin and illustrated by Parwinder Singh, who turns three this year. This touching story about unconditional love follows a young boy named Raja after he finds a baby camel, Kamal, that he takes in as his own. However, camels are not animals that are typically pets, and Raja very quickly finds out why. When his father makes plans to sell Kamal, Raja must hatch a plan to keep them together.

Another book birthday this year is Lila Lou’s Little Library by Nikki Bergstresser and illustrated by Sejung Kim (a personal favorite of mine). Lila Lou turns two this year! It follows a little girl, Lila, who loves to read more than anything. She has so many books that she can build forts out of them! However, her mother decides that she has too many, and Lila must come up with a way to preserve the books that she loves so much. 

Last but not least is the baby of the bunch, What the Bread Says, by Vanessa Garcia and illustrated by Tom Palin, who turns one this October. Based on a true story, this is the tale of how Vanessa learned about her history while baking bread with her Papan. It’s a journey that takes you all across the world, from Cuba to France and Spain, and leaves you with a powerful message about all the things you can learn while simply waiting.

As part of the celebration of all these birthdays, this fall you can use the code “FALLBIRTHDAY” for a discount purchasing each of these books. We invite you to celebrate these stories with friends, family, students, and parents, and continue to spread their positive messages of friendship, love, hope, and joy!

Nia Saxon is an editorial intern at Cardinal Rule Press and a student at the University of Michigan studying English and Psychology. A lover of all things story related, she can be found reading, writing, or binge watching whatever show or movie she is obsessed with. She hopes eventually to become an editor in the publishing industry.