The Picture Book Buzz - Cover Reveal for M is For Mason Jar

Maria Marshall
Apr 20
3 min read

Updated: Apr 22

I am so lucky to be a friend and critique partner of the super talented author Carolyn Bennett Frasier. And super excited to be able to bring to you the cover reveal for her newest book - M is For Mason Jar: A Homesteading Alphabet.

Curtail covering the book cover offering just a peak at the lower right corner.

This is a wonderful alphabet picture book, full of fun alliteration, which follows a young girl and her family through special moments of homesteading, many of which (gardening, canning, cooking and exploring) can be done by suburban and urban, not just rural families.

Among the many ABC books that exist, Carolyn and Sally Garland have created a unique one which celebrates those homesteading families and offers other children a peek into life as a homesteader. It's also a wonderful read or gift for Earth Day, National Gardening Day, and Homestead Days.

Book cover - blue curtain pulled back a little revealing two mason jars, a sliced apple, and a dog peering over the table.

M is For Mason Jar: A Homesteading Alphabet by Carolyn Bennett Fraiser, illustrated by Sally Garland (Familius).

Coming out on August 12, 2025.

Synopsis: A is for attic and armfuls of aprons our aunties once made. B is for baking the batter for buttermilk biscuits. Yum!

Children are an essential part of any homestead. From canning creamed corn and cucumbers to scattering seeds in the soil, explore a fun modern-day homesteading activity for every letter of the alphabet, just for young homesteaders. With alliterative text by Carloyn Bennett Fraiser and sweet illustrations by Sally Garland, M Is for Mason Jar is a mix of nostalgia and modernism. Whether in the country or the city, the time-honored practices of the homestead will encourage kids to be more self-reliant and to be thankful for the bounty of the earth and the work of their hands. Includes one page of backmatter to help kids get involved in homesteading activities.

So, are you ready and excited to see the cover? Drum roll, please...... Presenting. . . M is For Mason Jar!

Book cover - three kids peering across a table at a basket of fruit, a sliced apple, and three mason jars full of food. Joined by their dog.

Pre-orders are now available at: https://www.abramsbooks.com/product/m-is-for-mason-jar_9781641709668/. (with links to Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, Bookshop, Powells, and !ndigo) and you can get signed copies at Highland Books in Brevard, NC.

Before you go, I'd like to share with you some information about the talented author and illustrator.

Carolyn Bennett Fraiser is a homesteader in the mountains of western North Carolina, where she writes for children and works as graphic designer for non-profit organizations. Carolyn is the author of Moon Tree: The Story of One Extraordinary Tree, illustrated by Simona Mulazzani (2022) and many educational books.

Learn more about and connect with Carolyn at her website: https://carolynbfraiser.com/ and on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carolynbfraiser/.

Sally Garland was brought up in a small town in the Highlands of Scotland called Alness, and studied illustration at Edinburgh College of Art before moving to Glasgow, where she now lives and works with her partner and young son. Sally is the author/illustrator of 8 books, including The Chalk Garden (2023) and the illustrator of Mama, Sing My Song by Amanda Seibert (2022).

Learn more about or connect with Sally at her website: https://www.sallyannegarland.com/ and on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sally_garland_illustration/.

You don't want to miss this book!

And if you are in the area this Fall, check out Carolyn's M IS FOR MASON JAR Orchard & More Tour:

August 23: Mason Jar Day at Mary C. Jenkins Community Center in Brevard, NC

221 Mills Avenue,

Brevard, NC 28712

August 30-September 1: Labor Day weekend at Grandad’s Apples in Hendersonville, NC

2951 Chimney Rock Rd,

Hendersonville, North Carolina 28792

September 6: NC Honey Festival in Whiteville, NC

618 S Madison St,

Whiteville, NC 28472