You can be lonely, even when other people nearby if they don’t have time for you. With mom busy teaching and sister wanting privacy, a young girl decides to just leave to see if anyone will even miss her. While she waits in a nearby lilac bush, she decides to build her own house using cardboard and sticks. First her cat then her sister join her in her new house and finally mom arrives with her student. Room is made for each of them.

Having room in your life is more than just about space – it’s also about time and attention. This story illustrates that you can make space for yourself and those that are important to you and in doing so, take positive action to nurture your interconnection with others.

A sweet story that embodies both imaginative play and the love between siblings. Building castles, wrestling alligators, and climbing Mount Kilimanjaro are just a few of the many wonderful adventures a little girl plans for when her brother comes home. The sprinkler is a waterfall, a stream is the unexplored rainforest, and packing boxes create a castle. The story reminds us that simple things when paired with imagination and a companion are the recipe for great adventures. The joy and affection of the sibling’s reunion makes the grand plans of the little sister seem possible.

Litchenheld’s sweet soft illustrations show a the little sister waiting and her imagined adventures. The repeated refrain, “When my brother gets home…” is accompanied by a crayon illustration of a school bus as it traverses the town.

Being willing to stand up for what you believe in and raise your voice for change can be demonstrated in many ways. Art can be one of the ways you can share your message with the world. Rise Up! the Art of Protest is a powerful book on how we shape and communicate our messages calling for change.

Written in collaboration with Amnesty International, Rise Up! is an excellent book for readers interested in social justice, the history of protest art, graphic art, or art history. It is written in concise, factual language without any sentimentality – letting the art itself convey the most powerful message. The book is organized in chapters around the themes of women’s rights, race, peace, youth, LGBTQ, and environmentalism. Each chapter begins with a brief description and history of the protest theme followed by gallery of protest art examples. The majority of the examples originate in the United States, but samples of protest art from all around the world are also included.

The art reproductions are excellent quality and printed with bright colors. Each example includes a caption with artist(s), date, region, and a brief description.

Includes a forward by Mari Copeny, a youth activist known for her work during the Flint water crisis. Also includes a brief description of Amnesty International at the end of the book.

Illustrated by Ana Sender

“Mom, why do we cry?” ask Mario. With poetic language and imagery, Mario’s Mom describes the many feelings behind tears. With each example, the book validates the feelings and accepts the release of tears as a natural extension of those strong feelings. When the feelings are too hard to explain, the author employs simile, metaphor, and Ana Sender’s illustrations to portray the deepness of those feelings and the potential healing power of tears.

Why do we cry? The book ends with Mom’s tears of happiness. “More than anything, sweetheart, we cry because we feel like crying.” Includes both social emotional and scientific information on tears as well as extension activities for self reflection and discussion.

Translated from the Spanish original.

A wonderful narrative non-fiction told through multiple haiku stanzas. The great-horned owl pair starts by repurposing a squirrels nest. The book follows the the pair as they prepare their nest, lay and protect their eggs, nurture their owlets until the fledglings fly off to a home of their own. The world is fraught with danger. Only 2 of the 3 eggs survive to hatch and one fledgling barely escapes a fox.

The rhythm of the haiku stanzas help map the steady progression of the owls’ life cycle. Each struggle or danger is surmounted, though not always without loss.

Slipping to the ground
Eeping, flapping, fluttering
Nest far, far away

Red fox is watching
Red fox is sneaking-slinking
Red fox is crouching

Gianferrari’s haiku is approachable for young children; rich with language, but conveying concept and feelings in a way young readers can grasp. Voss’s breathtaking illustrations instill both the movement and the stillness of an owl’s night.

Whoo-Ku Haiku is a good choice for lessons on the haiku as a poetic form, word choice, and the study of owls.

Illustrated by Mike Lowery

Knot Cannot is a humorous story of homophone wordplay that will make the reader chuckle. Can Knot do what Snake can? He cannot – slither, hiss, swallow, shed, climb, or swim. There is not a lot Knot CAN do. But he can save snake from the a bird by twisting him into a knot so he’s too big to swallow. Knot’s envy gives way to an understanding of his own self worth. Valuing what he can do helps Knot recognize the reciprocal nature of friendship.

Cartoon-like illustrations support the story’s silliness. A hilarious read aloud that celebrates the playfulness of language and the importance of inflection to convey meaning.

The book, In a Jar is a sweet metaphor for protecting and sharing special memories. Llewellyn is a bit of a loner, collecting items in jars so he can peer inside and remember the wonderful things he had seen and done. One evening he meets Evelyn and shares one of his jars with her. This led to seasons of collecting together. When Evelyn moves away, she and Llewellyn share jars back and forth, maintaining their friendship by sharing their present.

The story will encourage children to collect, protect, save, share and reexamine what makes the everyday things around them special. Recommended.

A young girl worried about her fishman father on those nights each month with no moon. Finding the crying girl, the sun took one of his golden rays and shattered it into a million glowing pieces for her to place in the sky to light her father’s way. She worked tirelessly to carefully place each star, slowly creating the constellations. A curious monkey snatched her bag of stars, still full after months of work and in the tug-a-war the stars were strewn across the sky creating the Milky Way.

How the Stars Came To Be is a solid new folktale. The book’s illustrations, however, are what really make the book shine. The author’s Indian roots can be seen in the almost henna-like illustrations. Recommended.

Starting with a description of one of Ronaldo’s most famous goals, this biography is sure to be a hit with young soccer players. The book highlights Ronaldo’s career progress from his professional debut in 2002 at age 17 to his move in 2018 to his current team, Juventus. Ronaldo’s commercial sponsorships are mentioned briefly, but some of his charitable contributions are described in more detail. Very little is said about his personal life. This book is definitely targeted at the soccer lover.

Born into slavery, John and Millicent listened to their parents’ stories of their people flying to freedom. Even after their parents, Samuel and Maggie were sold away, those seeds of freedom survived in their minds and hearts. When the overseer injures a majestic bird as if flies over the plantation, John and Millicent risk their safety at night to retrieve and tend it. The bird slowly recovers, but refuses to leave. Secret word reaches their ears that in a week, John would be sold to a faraway farm. Following the flight of the bird, John and Millicent run through the storm to freedom.

Freedom Bird is Jerdine Nolen’s second book in a multigenerational narrative of an African American family. Big Jabe and Thunder Rose, the first and third books respectively have the storytelling characteristics of a Tall Tale. In Freedom Bird, Jerdine Nolen’s powerful storytelling voice can be heard in the story’s language and cadence without the hyperbole found in Big Jabe and Thunder Rose.

An important story told in a powerful voice that belongs in every library.