• Alma and How She Got Her Name

    written & illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal

    32 pages, 4-8 years; published 2018 by Candlewick Press

    Author/illustrator Juana Martinez-Neal has a tremendous gift for illustrating whimsical characters in enchanting settings. In Alma and How She Got her Name, she adds simple and engaging story-telling to create a book as beautiful as it is unique. One can understand Alma’s initial complaint about her very long name: Alma Sofia Esperanza José Pura Candela. Her father’s story regarding it’s creation will come to delight both Alma and the reader.

  • “How can I know what I think until I see what I say?”

    — E. M. Forster

  • The Remember Balloons

    by Jessie Oliveros, illustrated by Dana Wulfekotte

    48 pages, 5-9 years; published 2018 by Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers

    When a picture book makes you cry, it’s a keeper. Consequently, I own a copy of The Remember Balloons. I first learned about this book when hearing it received a Golden Kite award for the story. The concept of balloons as a metaphor for personal memories was very intriguing. Oliveros says her grandfather’s dementia served as inspiration. I’ll let the book tell the rest, because it does so with such a unique and authentic voice. One that any child will enjoy hearing, especially those with aging family members. 

  • “The only thing that you absolutely have to know, is the location of the library.”

    — Albert Einstein

  • I Am a Thief!

    I Am a Thief!

    by Abigail Rayner, illustrated by Molly Ruttan

    32 pages, 4-8 years; published 2019 by NorthSouth Books

    Every child struggles with controlling impulses. It’s the cornerstone of the maturation process. Kids often do things without knowing why. In Abigail Rayner’s book, I Am a Thief!, Eliza Jane Murphy steals something from her classroom that’s just too irresistible to pass up. She immediately feels terrible. Herein lies the beauty of this story. It doesn’t dwell on the fact that Eliza did something wrong. It focuses on the mixed emotions impulsive acts create. The illustrations by Molly Ruttan play a great role in showing this duality. Readers will learn that doing the right thing takes courage. Everyone makes mistakes. It’s what you do afterwards that counts.

  • “Sometimes, I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.”

    — Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

  • Bob, Not Bob!

    Bob, Not Bob!

    written by Liz Garton Scanlon&Audrey Vernick,
    illustrated by Matthew Cordell

    40 pages, 3-5 years; published 2017 by Little Brown for Young Readers

    I love that I didn’t know much about this book before I read it. I’ll afford you the same courtesy. What a great concept! Such humorous writing and perfectly paired illustrations. Any child who’s ever had a bad cold, or witnessed one in the family, will find this story hilarious. Bob, Not Bob! is a fantastic read-aloud begging for embellishment.

  • “Don’t try to figure out what other people want to hear from you; figure out what you have to say. It’s the one and only thing you have to offer.”

    — Barbara Kingsolver

  • A Sick Day for Amos McGee

    A Sick Day for Amos McGee

    written byPhilip C. Stead, illustrated byErin E. Stead

    32 pages, 2-6 years; published 2010 by Roaring Book Press

    Philip and Erin Stead have created many unique books together, but this may be one of their finest. It also happens to be the first book Erin illustrated (winning her a Caldecott Medal). The story of Amos the zookeeper charms you with simplicity and honesty, but the illustrations add storytelling magic of their own. Several wordless spreads prove this point. What a fantastic menagerie of friends Amos has to cheer him up during a day at home. A Sick Day for Amos McGee is the perfect book to cuddle up with any day.

  • “You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem,
    and smarter than you think.”

    — A. A. Milne

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