This book is a celebration of how a black barbershop plays an important role in the black community. The ‘shop is a sound booth, a gallery, a sports show, a comedy club, a playground, a showroom, a classroom, and a studio where community shares wisdom, joy, and love. Each spread begins with, “The ‘shop is our…” and continues with a description. Word choice and cadence reflect the culture of a black urban barbershop.

The illustrations are bright and cheerful and depict the shared experiences at the barbershop. Characters are mainly brown skinned boys and men with a variety of hair styles..

Jenny Chow just can’t get the hang of chopsticks and everyone in her family knows it. Her struggle has her feeling like an outsider in her extended family. Jenny’s cousin is having a party featuring the family’s annual chopstick challenge. Some onomatopoeia and Chinese characters accompany her unsuccessful practice attempts. Jenny realized that trying the same thing again and again will not help her improve.

Jenny gains inspiration from a set of tongs and fashions her chopsticks with a rubber band and folded star; acting like a training wheels. Through persistence and practice Jenny successfully participates in the chopstick challenge, an important family tradition. Her family is there to cheer on her success.

Tricky Chopsticks is a story highlighting family traditions and ingenuity when faced with a challenge.

Neighbors Sophia and May are best of friends who know they can always rely on each other to be there. One day their adventures together take them beyond their yards to a nearby field. There they find a wild blooming field of sourgrass. May shares, “My mom says it show up every spring, keeping a promise.” Sharing sourgrass becomes a sweet representation of their deep bond.

May moves away, straining their bonds of friendship, withering their joyful connection, and leaving Sophia with only their imaginary friends. Frequent letters soon dwindled to nothing. Sofia begins to wonder if she has been forgotten. Spring brings the promised return of the sourgrass and with it all of her wonderful memories. Inspired by the sourgrass’s promised return, Sophia reaches out again to May by letter hoping that the promise of their friendship will also be kept. The story ends with a return letter from May and a glimpse of a little redheaded girl who could fill the void of May’s absence.

Sophie is a dark skinned girl with cornrows and May, a light skinned girl with brown hair. Pastel illustrations convey the connection and the feelings of the two friends.

Cranky Chicken and Speedy the worm are back with more fun and silly adventures! This book has three stories about friendship, caring, and going on a camping trip.

In the first story, a new little turtle joins their family, but Cranky Chicken isn’t sure how to be her friend. Then Speedy gets hurt and becomes cranky, so Cranky has to cheer him up. Finally, they all go camping and face funny challenges like bugs and strange night sounds.

With lots of jokes and cute pictures, this book is great for kids who love stories about friends helping each other. It’s perfect for young readers who enjoy funny graphic novels.

Hope in a Jar is another picture book that follows Llewellyn the bunny and his friends as they collect their hopes and dreams—big and small—in jars. Their dreams range from learning new skills to imagining faraway adventures, showing children the importance of aspiration.

When a storm destroys their jars, the bunnies face loss and wonder if dreaming is worth it at all. This story explores themes of setback, grief, and resilience, emphasizing the power of friendship and support to help us start again.

This book is an excellent tool for teaching social-emotional skills such as coping with loss, perseverance, and hope. It offers educators a sensitive way to discuss challenges and encourage students to keep believing in their dreams.