In the Pacific Northwest we can too easily fall into the habit of associating rain with words like cold and gloomy and dreary. But this book celebrates rain. The colors are bright and cheerful. It dedicates several pages to the anticipation of the rain, when so many creatures (including kids) hurry home when they sense it coming, but instead of a sense of dread, it offers a sense of the cozy. It mentions the dogs who don’t hurry home but wait to feel the drops just for the fun of it, and the ducks who are happiest of all enjoying a glorious day in the rain. It reminds us that rain is good for everybody, filling bird baths and creeks and helping things grow.

It’s a charming book that tells of four sisters who grew up in southern California in the early 1900s, and each followed their own interests, right into careers that were uncommon pursuits for women of that era. As adults they brought their individual strengths and skills together to build cottages that captured the magic they remembered from the fairy tales they read as children. The end note in the back is just as well-written as the book itself, adding depth and detail to round out the story. I just wish kids actually read those parts.

I was prepared to be hard on this one, thinking to myself, “Do we really need another book encouraging kids to learn to read? There are so many good ones out there already.” But who can resist a library fish who gets wrapped up in the joy of the library, watching books come and go, watching patrons search for just the right book, listening in during story our and getting caught up in the wonder and excitement and humor in books? When a book is shared during story time about a dog who learned to read, Library Fish is determined she can too. As soon as she’s alone in the library, “With plenty of hard work, determination, and, of course, imagination…” she creates a water bubble for herself around her head (think old-time diver’s helmet) that lets her venture beyond her bowl and explore the library, starting with the alphabet, building up to words, practicing night after night, until she’s ready to share all she’s learned with her book-mobile friend. It’s full of delight and determination and celebration. The illustrations are full of personality and express the joy found in persistence. I now want a library fish.

It’s a book written with a definite purpose in mind, and it’s a purpose we need: to encourage more children of color to consider futures in the professions where we need more people of color (in this case specifically, doctors). It tells of a kid who loves his grandpa who is always telling him he can be anybody he wants to be, and encourages him to think beyond his neighborhood. But he also gets the sense from his peers that it’s not cool to be a wannabe. But when a medical emergency hits and his beloved grandpa is in the hospital, he’s grateful to the doctor who cares for him, and who grew up in his own neighborhood, re-energizing his dreams of being the kind of hero he sees around him.

It’s a philosophical sort of book, intended to teach mindfulness to kids. It’s not necessarily the kind of story kids are going to pick up to read again and again as a favorite, but it could be useful as a teaching tool. The subplot that runs through the illustrations, showing a child on an excursion to visit grandparents at a summer lake cabin and enjoy the company of extended family while swimming in the lake and watching fireflies is not necessarily something every child will be able to relate to, but the sentiments expressed through the words will certainly by familiar to all — the way time goes so fast sometimes and drags at others, the joys of good food and laughter, the misery of having a joyful moment suddenly disrupted by a bee sting. Kids will probably ignore the extra information in the back offering tips one what to do when anxious or appreciating the here and now, but adults might use them intentionally with a child they know needs it.

The illustrations are really fun, with a cute little dog with great big eyes who sucks you in immediately. The story is one that will be familiar to anyone who has a short-legged dog, but from the dog’s perspective: he really wants to climb “Comfy Mountain” (i.e. the back of the couch), but he just can’t manage it. When finally realizing all he needs to do is ask his human for help, the rewards prove better than his imagination. It ends with a gentle reminder that though it’s great to do things by ourselves, sometimes doing them together is even better. Some kids need a reminder that it’s okay to ask for help when you need it.

The illustrations are vibrant and joyful and celebratory, even as the story is describing events born of poverty. Many students used to making the most of hand-me-downs may relate to the power of recreating something beautiful from that which has been discarded by others. They may be perplexed though at the idea that the narrator and his mother had to sneak through the night to scavenge the fabric scraps before they were set afire. Reading the author’s note at the end helps to give context, explaining that the book is based on his own childhood experiences growing up in St. Lucia, where wealthy factory owners made a point of having their scraps burned so that poor families couldn’t steal their trash, but that sometimes a kind worker would give them time to rummage before starting the blaze. We say books can sometime serve as mirrors, reflecting the reader’s own experiences, or sometime a window, showing the reader some aspect of the world beyond. This one may do both at the same time for some readers.