• If You Come to Earth

    written & illustrated by Sophie Blackall

    80 pages, 5-8 years; published 2020 by Chronicle Books

    Sophie Blackall’s illustrations never disappoint, and If You Come to Earth provides an abundance of visual gems for readers to enjoy. The story serves as a guide for an outer space visitor and delves into all the different things one can find on planet Earth. It’s difficult to tear yourself away from these imaginative illustrations. The book feels like a luscious, modern-day Richard Scarry, one which kids will come back to again and again.

  • Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body.

    —Joseph Addison

  • Mistletoe: A Christmas Story

    Mistletoe book cover

    written & illustrated by Tad Hills

    40 pages, 3-7 years; published 2020 by Schwartz & Wade

    Such a charming Christmas story. Tad Hills chose the perfect pair of animals to share a friendship—an elephant and a mouse. His illustrations are richly saturated in color and deeply draw you in. Mistletoe: A Christmas Story cleverly builds anticipation for the reader as Mistletoe the mouse tackles a knitting project. The concept of a tiny mouse taking on such a monumental task for a friend is sure to resonate with young kids who often feel inadequate. One of the best images is certainly the last, and that alone will likely spark many pleas to read it again!

  • You have been my friend. That in itself is a tremendous thing.

    ―Charlotte’s Web by E.B.White

  • Outside, Inside

    written & illustrated by LeUyen Pham

    48 pages, 3-6 years; published 2021 by Roaring Brook Press

    What a simple, and yet remarkable, story about how the COVID-19 pandemic changed our lives. Pham expertly combines her words and illustrations so that they enhance one another. Sometimes sparse, vague wording is paired with a detailed illustration, and other times specific phrases include a simple illustration that adds emotional context. At the heart of Inside, Outside is the fact that we are all the same inside. Pham does a wonderful job of showing how diverse we are on the outside too. She also gives a well-deserved shout out to all the first responders and essential workers that have kept us going throughout the pandemic. A must read, and a joy to see.

  • “And we knew that in all languages, there are words as warm as breath and others as cold as metal.”

    ―The Day Saida Arrived by Susana Gómez Redondo

  • The Day Saida Arrived

    by Susana Gómez Redondo, translated by Lawrence Schimel
    illustrated by Sonja Wimmer

    32 pages, ages 3–8 years; published 2020 by Blue Dot Kids Press

    This picture book is simply beautiful with luscious illustrations that take your breath away. There is so much tenderness in both the paintings and the prose. A new student who cannot speak English is kindly welcomed by her classmate. Determined to become friends, the girls make an effort to learn one another’s native language. This story demonstrates how patience and compassion go a long way in creating harmony among people with diverse backgrounds. The Day Saida Arrived leaves readers with a calming and lasting impression of hope.

  • “A book is like a garden carried in the pocket.”

    —Chinese Proverb

  • One Little Bag: An Amazing Journey

    written & illustrated by Henry Cole

    48 pages, 4-8 years; published 2020 by Scholastic Press

    One Little Bag: An Amazing Journey is Henry Cole at his finest. This wordless picture book speaks volumes. The story takes you on the journey of a paper bag and the boy who owns it. The bag bears witness to many milestones in the boy’s life, and in turn becomes more than just a bag. The detailed drawings pull you in and encourage viewers to find the brown bag on each page and consider its purpose. While the story needs no explanation, an author’s note informs readers about a similar paper bag Cole once kept for many years. This helps tie the story into conservation and the ways in which people  can minimize their footprint and look at material things in fresh new ways. 

  • “Hope and peace and love and trust

    All the world is all of us.”

    —All The World by Liz Garton Scanlon

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