Here's a marvelous picture book, charmingly written and beautifully illustrated, about the power of memory and the magic of friendship.

Llewellyn, a little rabbit, is a collector. He gathers things in jars--ordinary things like buttercups, feathers, and heart-shaped stones. Then he meets another rabbit, Evelyn, and together they begin to collect extraordinary things--like rainbows, the sound of the ocean, and the wind just before snow falls. And, best of all, when they hold the jars and peer inside, they remember all the wonderful things they've seen and done. But one day, Evelyn has sad news: Her family is moving away. How can the two friends continue their magical collection--and their special friendship--from afar?
© Mark MacKay
Deborah Marcero is the author and illustrator of the bestselling picture books In a Jar and My Heart Is a Compass. She also illustrated The Boy Whose Head Was Filled With Stars: A Life of Edwin Hubble by Isabelle Marinov and Twinderella by Corey Rosen Schwartz. Learn more at deborahmarcero.com and follow her on Twitter and Instagram @deborahmarcero. View titles by Deborah Marcero
A #1 Indie Bestseller
A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year
A BookPage Best Book of the Year
A Bank Street College of Education Best Book of the Year

*
"Readers will feel the warmth of friendship and the wonder of the world as well. Stunning." --Kirkus Reviews, starred review

* "An enchanting examination of the pleasure reaped from cultivating imagination, friendship, and memory." --School Library Journal, starred review

* "Marcero works magic with prismatic watercolors, ink, and pencil, as her light-filled illustrations chronicle the young rabbits’ exploits and their appreciative wonder of the world around them . . . This joyful account of friendship will charm readers with the notion of capturing wind or a rainbow in a jar, but its deeper message of maintaining relationships over a distance will comfort those who have moved or know someone who has." --Booklist, starred review

*In a Jar does what all the best picture books do: It captivates, entertains and leaves you with a reminder of magic still shimmering around the edges.” --BookPage, starred review

"Marcero provides a metaphor for the importance of capturing fleeting moments, and an image of a friendship that overcomes separation." --Publishers Weekly

"Cozy yet also endearingly offbeat. This could make an interesting partner to Denos’ Here and Now in a celebration of moments, or it could couple with Doerrfeld’s Goodbye, Friend! Hello, Friend! for a discussion of how sharing feeds a friendship." --BCCB

"This is a book about friendship and how true bonds can transcend geographical distance. This is one to remember when a child experiences the unexpected departure of a friend." --School Library Connection

“Marcero uses delicate lines and vibrant colors to illustrate a tale of eccentricity and friendship . . . The details in Ms. Marcero’s beguiling pictures add a seek-and-find element to this tender story for children ages 3-7.” --The Wall Street Journal

In a Jar by Deborah Marcero - Read Aloud Picture Book | Brightly Storytime

About

Here's a marvelous picture book, charmingly written and beautifully illustrated, about the power of memory and the magic of friendship.

Llewellyn, a little rabbit, is a collector. He gathers things in jars--ordinary things like buttercups, feathers, and heart-shaped stones. Then he meets another rabbit, Evelyn, and together they begin to collect extraordinary things--like rainbows, the sound of the ocean, and the wind just before snow falls. And, best of all, when they hold the jars and peer inside, they remember all the wonderful things they've seen and done. But one day, Evelyn has sad news: Her family is moving away. How can the two friends continue their magical collection--and their special friendship--from afar?

Author

© Mark MacKay
Deborah Marcero is the author and illustrator of the bestselling picture books In a Jar and My Heart Is a Compass. She also illustrated The Boy Whose Head Was Filled With Stars: A Life of Edwin Hubble by Isabelle Marinov and Twinderella by Corey Rosen Schwartz. Learn more at deborahmarcero.com and follow her on Twitter and Instagram @deborahmarcero. View titles by Deborah Marcero

Praise

A #1 Indie Bestseller
A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year
A BookPage Best Book of the Year
A Bank Street College of Education Best Book of the Year

*
"Readers will feel the warmth of friendship and the wonder of the world as well. Stunning." --Kirkus Reviews, starred review

* "An enchanting examination of the pleasure reaped from cultivating imagination, friendship, and memory." --School Library Journal, starred review

* "Marcero works magic with prismatic watercolors, ink, and pencil, as her light-filled illustrations chronicle the young rabbits’ exploits and their appreciative wonder of the world around them . . . This joyful account of friendship will charm readers with the notion of capturing wind or a rainbow in a jar, but its deeper message of maintaining relationships over a distance will comfort those who have moved or know someone who has." --Booklist, starred review

*In a Jar does what all the best picture books do: It captivates, entertains and leaves you with a reminder of magic still shimmering around the edges.” --BookPage, starred review

"Marcero provides a metaphor for the importance of capturing fleeting moments, and an image of a friendship that overcomes separation." --Publishers Weekly

"Cozy yet also endearingly offbeat. This could make an interesting partner to Denos’ Here and Now in a celebration of moments, or it could couple with Doerrfeld’s Goodbye, Friend! Hello, Friend! for a discussion of how sharing feeds a friendship." --BCCB

"This is a book about friendship and how true bonds can transcend geographical distance. This is one to remember when a child experiences the unexpected departure of a friend." --School Library Connection

“Marcero uses delicate lines and vibrant colors to illustrate a tale of eccentricity and friendship . . . The details in Ms. Marcero’s beguiling pictures add a seek-and-find element to this tender story for children ages 3-7.” --The Wall Street Journal

Media

In a Jar by Deborah Marcero - Read Aloud Picture Book | Brightly Storytime

Reading with Purpose Summit Event

On Monday, June 10th, Penguin Random House Education and DK Learning co-hosted a Reading with Purpose Summit Event in collaboration with Molly Ness, PhD. The event took place at Penguin Random House’s NYC headquarters and included sessions featuring leading education experts and a lunchtime author panel. The in-person professional learning event was built to show

Read more

2024 Elementary School Collection

The Penguin Random House Education Elementary School Collection features outstanding fiction, nonfiction, and picture books from Penguin Young Reader’s, Random House Children’s, DK, and Grupo Editorial, as well as children’s publishers distributed by Penguin Random House. Explore online or download this valuable resource to discover great books in specific topic areas such as: Leveled Readers,

Read more

DK Learning Phonic Books Sampler Request

Thank you for your interest in DK Learning | Phonic Books. To download the DK Learning | Phonic Books sampler with four complete readers, please click here and complete the form. Once your information is successfully submitted, a link to download the sampler will be provided on the confirmation screen.   Click here to learn

Read more

PRH Education Translanguaging Collections

Translanguaging is a communicative practice of bilinguals and multilinguals, that is, it is a practice whereby bilinguals and multilinguals use their entire linguistic repertoire to communicate and make meaning (García, 2009; García, Ibarra Johnson, & Seltzer, 2017)   It is through that lens that we have partnered with teacher educators and bilingual education experts, Drs.

Read more