Vendor
	Mohrbooks Literary Agency Sebastian Ritscher
Original language
English
Categories
Children’s picture books

ONE MORE JAR OF JAM

Gracey Zhang Michelle Sumovich

A sparkling and deeply felt story of love, loss, renewal - and jam! - offering a gentle reminder of the cyclical nature of the world around us.

If you ever have a mulberry tree, you'll climb branches and shake with all your might. You'll gather berries and smush fruits, while your dad boils jars in a tall, silver pot sweating and happy as the kitchen fills with steam. Because if you've ever had a mulberry tree, you know that the sweetest things are worth waiting for.

Sumptuous text and deliciously expressive illustrations come together to form a gentle ode to nature's bounty, to patience, and to one girl's lifelong connection to the tree in her yard.

Michelle Sumovich has a background working in bookstores and library program development for young children, as well as years of experience writing lyrics and music for children and adults. She lives in Portland with her husband, daughter, and cats. This is her debut picture book.

Gracey Zhang is a freelance illustrator and animator. She was born and raised in Vancouver, Canada, and received her BFA in Illustration from the Rhode Island School of Design. She is now based in New York City.

Available products
Book Published 2023-08-01 by Dial Books for Young Readers
Book Published 2023-08-01 by Dial Books for Young Readers

Comments

A warm tale of grief, resilience, trees, and, of course, jam.

...the story draws viewers into the young narrator's experiences and emotions with its plainspoken, graceful free verse... A quiet, heartfelt picture book.

Evoking sweet, simple pleasures in life, Sumovich pens a celebration of growth, family, and friends... The story is told in comforting prose as well as through Zhang's detailed and flowing illustrations... A worthy purchase with an eye-catching cover, this is sure to intrigue young and old alike.

Complex Chinese rights to Babel Publishing

Zhang captures the affection family members have for one another and the love they have for the outdoors; her opening depictions of the mulberry tree as it blooms are particularly vivid. This story of loss ends on an optimistic note... The family celebrates, shouting and dancing and waiting "for one more jar of jam.

Knowledge that comes with the caretaking and harvesting of trees, a seasonal scale, and affectionate images of an interracial family who share joy and loss together all flavor this personal-feeling tale.